TRANSPORT

Cycleways

Nick Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many dedicated cycle routes have been brought into use since 1997.

Rosie Winterton: These figures are not collected centrally. A cycle route is often made up of a combination of cycle lanes, cycle tracks and the local road network.
	Some data on the number of cycle tracks and cycle lanes constructed since 2001-02 are held although they are not complete. Local authorities outside London have reported through their local transport plans they have built the following number of new cycle lanes and cycle tracks:
	
		
			   Total number of cycle lanes and cycle tracks built 
			 2001-02 810 
			 2002-03 991 
			 2003-04 999 
			 2004-05 956 
			 2005-06 (1)744 
			 Total 4,500 
			 (1) 2005-06 data are yet to be audited and from this year the "good" and "excellent" rated authorities do not have to supply the above data. 
		
	
	Similar figures are not available for London boroughs but Transport for London report that 531km of the London Cycle Network+ were completed by May 2006 with a target of 900km due for completion by end 2010.

Departments: Pensions

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many and what percentage of staff in her Department are making additional voluntary contributions to their pensions; and what steps she has taken in the last year to encourage more people to make such contributions.

Jim Fitzpatrick: 344 members of staff in Department for Transport (1.8 per cent. of the total number of staff employed by the Department) currently make additional voluntary pension contributions through deductions from their pay.
	Pension scheme members receive an annual benefit statement showing the pension built up to date, and also a projection of pension on retirement if the member continues in service to scheme pension age. The benefit statement provides details of the civil service pensions website where staff can obtain further information, including options for making additional voluntary contributions to boost their pension.

Departments: Sick Leave

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many staff in her Department have taken  (a) five or more,  (b) four,  (c) three and  (d) two periods of sick leave of less than five days in the last 12 months.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The number of staff in the Department for Transport who have taken periods of sick leave of less than five days during the financial year 2006-07 are:
	
		
			  Periods of sick leave  Number of staff 
			 5 or more periods 614 
			 4 periods 581 
			 3 periods 1,201 
			 2 periods 2,749 
		
	
	The Department is committed to managing sick absence effectively and continues to look at initiatives to help reduce absence levels. The management process includes early intervention by Occupational Health and conducting return to work interviews with staff.

Driving Offences: Chelmsford

Simon Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many people in the West Chelmsford area had nine points on their driving licence at the most recent date for which figures are available.

Jim Fitzpatrick: This information is not readily available from the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Driving Offences: Fines

Simon Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much was raised in fines from traffic cameras in  (a) the Chelmsford local authority area and  (b) Essex in each of the last five years; and how much of those monies was spent on road safety plans in each year.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The information requested is not available for the Chelmsford local authority area. The audit certificates for the Essex Safety Camera Partnership for the last five financial years outlined in table A show the fine revenue from conditional offer of fixed penalties for offences detected by speed and red light cameras operating under the then National Safety Camera Programme.
	
		
			  Table A 
			   £ 
			 2001-02 3,524,120 
			 2002-03 5,672,220 
			 2003-04 5,137,740 
			 2004-05 4,710,300 
			 2005-06 4,732,860 
		
	
	Under the then netting off funding arrangements, safety camera partnerships reclaimed expenditure directly attributed to the prevention, detection and enforcement of offences. The amounts reclaimed by the Essex partnership in these financial years is set out in table B. The surplus was returned to the Consolidated Fund.
	
		
			  Table B 
			   £ 
			 2001-02 3,179,304 
			 2002-03 5,150,286 
			 2003-04 5,037,293 
			 2004-05 4,622,413 
			 2005-06 4,257,190

Driving Offences: Fines

Simon Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many people were fined for speeding in  (a) Chelmsford local authority area and  (b) Essex in each of the last five years.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The information requested is not available for the Chelmsford local authority area. The information on the number of people fined for speeding in Essex in the last five years for which information is available is set out in the following table and has been provided by the Home Office. This shows all speeding offences in Essex including those detected outside the then National Safety Camera Programme.
	
		
			   Fixed penalty tickets  Fines (court proceedings)  Total 
			 2000 46,300 2,800 49,100 
			 2001 81,900 6,500 88,400 
			 2002 98,100 12,200 110,300 
			 2003 64,500 7,400 71,900 
			 2004 65,300 6,700 72,000

Exhaust Emissions: Pollution Control

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment she has made of the merits of  (a) selective catalytic reduction and  (b) exhaust gas recirculation technologies as measures to reduce nitrogen oxide emissions from vehicles.

Jim Fitzpatrick: Both Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) and Exhaust Gas Recirculation are effective methods for reducing Nitrogen Oxide (NOX) emissions from diesel vehicles. Exhaust Gas Recirculation is effective at low-medium engine load and can deliver moderate reductions in NOX emissions. Selective Catalytic Reduction is effective up to full engine load and can deliver substantial NOX reductions, but at higher cost than Exhaust Gas Recirculation.
	Exhaust Gas Recirculation is already widely used on diesel cars and vans. Selective Catalytic Reduction is fitted to the majority of new Heavy Goods Vehicles (HGVs) and buses.
	Selective Catalytic Reduction relies on the use of a consumable reagent to reduce NOX. From November 2007, new HGV and bus engines are required to monitor emission control systems and limit engine power in the event of their failing to operate. This is essential to encourage operators to keep the systems maintained and the SCR reagent topped up, and so ensure that NOX savings are actually delivered in operation.
	The Department for Transport takes into account the capabilities and costs of specific technologies when developing the United Kingdom's negotiating position on EU vehicle emission standards, but does not prescribe which technology industry should use to meet tighter emissions standards. Our Regulatory Impact Assessment on car and van Euro 5 emissions standards considered both of these technologies and can be found at
	http://www.dft.gov.uk/consultations/closed/emissionstandardseuro5/
	The Department is currently examining different potential scenarios for future HGV and bus emissions standards and will consider the future capabilities of both of these technologies in this exercise.

Exhaust Emissions: Pollution Control

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps her Department is taking to reduce nitrogen oxide emissions from vehicles.

Jim Fitzpatrick: Legislation to limit the emissions of pollutants from vehicles (including nitrogen oxide emissions) was first introduced in the 1970s. Particularly stringent standards, known colloquially as "Euro 1" were adopted in the early 1990s.
	Since then, successive standards have progressively tightened emissions limits with new vehicles currently having to meet Euro 4 standards. The Department for Transport has fully engaged with the European Commission, European Parliament, other member states and stakeholders in developing these standards.
	Between 1990 and 2004, these standards reduced the total quantity of oxides of nitrogen emitted from heavy duty vehicles by some 37 per cent. and from light duty vehicles (cars and vans) by 70 per cent.(1)
	(1) Table 4.15—UK Emissions of Air Pollutants 1970 to 2004, AEA Energy and Environment December 2006
	However despite these reductions nitrogen oxide emissions from road vehicles, in particular diesel vehicles, continue to be an air quality concern in the UK and throughout the EU. For this reason at the end of 2005 the European Commission published a proposal for tighter Euro 5 emissions standards for cars and vans. I am pleased to be able to state that, not only have these standards been recently adopted by the European Council and Parliament, but that the UK also successfully secured a further (Euro 6) round of standards which tighten diesel NOx limits by 68 per cent. compared to current Euro 4 standards. This will put the permitted levels for diesels close to the very low levels of petrol engined vehicles.
	We expect the European Commission to come forward with proposals to further tighten heavy duty vehicle emission standards late this year or early next. As usual the Department will fully engage in the negotiation of these standards.
	In order to bring forward further improvements in air quality the Government offer financial incentives to purchase vehicles built to more stringent emissions standards in advance of the standards becoming mandatory. The Government offer such incentives through the Reduced Pollution Certificate scheme. This will, from October 2007, offer heavy duty vehicle and bus operators a reduction in Vehicle Excise Duty of up to £500 per annum for vehicles which are fully compliant with the next level of standards in advance of their mandatory application in 2009.

Motorways: Closures

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport for what reason the M1 motorway was closed in both directions in South Yorkshire on 26 June; on whose authority such closure was made; and if she will make a statement.

Tom Harris: South Yorkshire police closed the M1 on 26 June between junctions 32 and junctions 34 northbound and junctions 36 and 32 southbound in response to the threat posed by the possible failure of the dam at Ulley reservoir in South Yorkshire.

Motorways: Closures

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what systems are in place to ensure that motorways are not unnecessarily closed for precautionary reasons when no incident, emergency accident or disaster has taken place; and if she will make a statement.

Tom Harris: The safety of our roads and customers who use them is paramount.
	For each unique occasion (such as recently on the M1) a full and detailed risk assessment is carried out and supported by consultation and advice taken from all appropriate parties, including the police, fire service, local authorities and the Highways Agency Traffic Officer Service. Consideration is given to all contributory factors to determine the level of potential risk posed to both public and workers' safety should no action be taken. Any full or partial precautionary road closure deemed necessary would follow where the risk to safety is calculated to outweigh the effect of disruption.

National Roads Telecommunications Services Project

Oliver Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the answer of 24 May 2007,  Official Report, column 1461W, on the National Roads Telecommunications Services project (NRTS), whether the NRTS will have the capacity to be used for  (a) the detection of speeding and issuing of fines,  (b) traffic and parking enforcement and  (c) road pricing or congestion charging.

Tom Harris: The NRTS network has the capacity to support existing speed detection and other traffic enforcement systems as required to implement the Highways Agency's operational regimes such as active traffic management.
	No allowance has been made to support road pricing in the current NRTS network capacity calculations. If required, the network capacity could be increased to support such an initiative. However, no decision has been taken on any national road pricing scheme.

National Roads Telecommunications Services Project

Oliver Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the answer of 24 May 2007,  Official Report, column 1461W, on the National Roads Telecommunications Services project (NRTS), whether the NRTS will interface with the automated number plate recognition infrastructure.

Tom Harris: The NRTS solution is flexible enough to connect to a wide range of external devices which could include automated number plate recognition (ANPR).

Ports: Planning

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what objections were lodged by statutory consultees to port applications in respect of  (a) London Gateway,  (b) Dibden Bay,  (c) Liverpool and  (d) Harwich; and which of these objections were withdrawn during the application process.

Jim Fitzpatrick: None. There are no statutory consultees in respect of harbour revision and harbour empowerment orders for ports. Statutory organisations have the opportunity to make objections to draft harbour orders on the same basis as any other objector.

Ports: Planning

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many objections from local residents and third parties were submitted in respect of port applications in respect of  (a) London Gateway,  (b) Dibden Bay,  (c) Liverpool and  (d) Harwich.

Jim Fitzpatrick: It is not possible to disaggregate precise figures for numbers of objections made in each case. The approximate numbers of objections made to the applications for harbour orders, including those by statutory organisations as well as local residents and third parties, were  (a) 225 for London Gateway,  (b) 6,140 for Dibden Bay,  (c) 36 for Seaforth River Terminal at Liverpool and  (d) 500 for Bathside Bay, Harwich.

Railways: South Wales

Don Touhig: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what representations her Department has received on the train services operated by Great Western between London and south Wales.

Tom Harris: Department for Transport has received approximately 30 letters and e-mails on First Great Western rail services between London and south Wales since January 2007.

South West Trains: Fares

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the terms of South West Trains' franchise are on penalty fares; what assessment she has made of the company's compliance with its franchise on penalty fares; and if she will make a statement.

Tom Harris: The Railways Act 1993 Section 130 is the basis for charging penalty fares on National Rail. The subsequent (Penalty Fares) Regulations 1994 allowed for by the 1993 Act in turn provided for the creation of Penalty Fares Rules. These Rules were last revised in 2002 and under them any operator wishing to charge penalty fares must submit a scheme for the approval of the Secretary of State. South West Trains currently have an approved penalty fares scheme.

Tankers: Oil

Alan Beith: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent assessment she has made of the potential for pollution along the east coast arising from the transfer at sea of oil from small carriers to bulk ocean-going tankers.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The Department has not made any recent assessment of the potential for pollution along the east coast of Great Britain arising from the transfer at sea of oil from smaller tankers to larger tankers.

Town and Country Planning Order 1995

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many times the Highways Agency has used powers under Article 14 of the Town and Country Planning Order 1995 on her behalf; and if she will place in the Library a list of these instances.

Tom Harris: With the sole exception of proposals for advertisements, all of the Highways Agency's responses to planning applications are issued under Article 14 of the General Development Procedure Order 1995. From May 2006 to May 2007 (last full year available) 2,672 article 14 responses were issued by the Agency to the local planning authorities. Details of each case can be provided only at disproportionate cost.

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Bass: Conservation

John Whittingdale: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when he plans to increase the minimum landing size for bass.

Jonathan R Shaw: I plan to make an announcement shortly on whether and when to introduce an increased minimum landing size for bass.

Biodiversity: Cooperation

Roger Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether a partnership body has been established to coordinate work between the Forestry Strategy and the Biodiversity Action Plan.

Joan Ruddock: I have asked the Forestry Commission and Natural England to prepare a joint action plan for implementing the recently published "Strategy for England's Trees, Woods and Forests". No new body is being created, but this partnership will ensure good coordination with the Biodiversity Action Plan.

Biodiversity: Cooperation

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions he has had with the Woodland Trust and Natural England on the potential loss of European woodland to bio-fuels production.

Joan Ruddock: No specific meetings have been arranged to discuss this topic. However, both bodies responded to the Department for Transport's recent consultation on the Renewable Transport Fuels Obligation Order and were reasonably supportive of it, provided there were strong sustainability safeguards. Although both organisations were concerned about deforestation in a global context, they did not specifically mention European woodland. The Woodland Trust, in particular, saw the increased demand for bio-fuels as providing an opportunity to regenerate ancient woodlands.
	Views from these two organisations will continue to be taken into account when developing policy in this area.

Carbon Emissions: Pollution Control

Nick Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what representations he has received since the launch of the Act on CO2 calculator; and what assessment he has made of the impact that the calculator will have on people's long-term energy habits.

Phil Woolas: There were 86,104 visitors to the Act on CO2 calculator during its first week. We have asked people to comment on how to improve the current public trial version of the calculator and have had more than 300 e-mail responses from members of the public. We will take these suggestions on board as we introduce improvements to the calculator over the next few months.
	The Action Plan at the end of the calculator gives tailored recommendations to users on how to reduce their overall carbon footprint by 20 per cent. The recommendations include looking at energy consumption in the home and cover both one-off and habitual behaviour changes.

Coastal Erosion: Bournemouth

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether additional funds will be allocated to Hengistbury Head in Bournemouth for coastal protection.

Phil Woolas: DEFRA has overall policy responsibility for flood and coastal erosion risk management in England. It funds most of the Environment Agency's flood-related work and grant aids individual capital improvement projects undertaken by local authorities and internal drainage boards. DEFRA does not carry out works, nor direct the authorities on which specific projects to undertake.
	Bournemouth borough council are the coast protection authority responsible for Hengistbury Head and they have been monitoring coastal erosion at this location. The Environment Agency has asked all operating authorities for their medium term plans for 2008-09 onwards. It is for Bournemouth borough council to decide on the inclusion of this, or other works, in their response to the Agency.
	We will use new Outcome Measures from next year to set out more clearly what we wish our overall programme to achieve. Ministers will set targets and the Agency will make decisions on how best to deliver these by applying a prioritisation system agreed with DEFRA. Any scheme at Hengistbury Head will have to be considered as part of this prioritisation system and against the many other worthwhile coastal schemes.

English Nature: Judicial Review

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many judicial reviews brought against English Nature between 1997 and 2007 in the  (a) High Court,  (b) Court of Appeal and  (c) House of Lords (i) were successful and (ii) resulted in an order for costs being made against English Nature; and what costs were awarded in each case.

Jonathan R Shaw: There were no judicial reviews brought against English Nature between 1997 and 2007 in the High Court, Court of Appeal or the House of Lords.

Farms: Land Drainage

Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what statutory duties relating to surface water drainage are placed upon farmers.

Phil Woolas: There are no such statutory duties placed upon farmers with regard to surface water drainage.
	Landowners with frontages along a watercourse have a number of rights and responsibilities in relation to watercourses which flow through their land. These include a responsibility to ensure that water flows without obstruction through their land.

Fisheries: Conservation

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions he has had with his  (a) Belgian,  (b) Dutch,  (c) German,  (d) Norwegian and  (e) Danish counterparts on the management of fishing stocks in the North Sea.

Jonathan R Shaw: UK Fisheries Ministers have regular discussions with their EU partners at Agriculture and Fisheries Council on matters relating to the management of stocks in the North sea. Occasional meetings also take place with Norwegian Ministers on areas of mutual interest.

Fly Tipping: South Eastern Region

Robert Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many incidents of fly-tipping were reported in each local authority in the South East of England in each of the last four years for which figures are available; what the estimated cost was of dealing with such incidents; and how many  (a) prosecutions and  (b) successful prosecutions there were for fly-tipping in each local authority in the South East of England in each year for which figures are available.

Jonathan R Shaw: As it is quite lengthy, I have arranged for the information requested to be placed in the Library of the House.

Ivory: Trade

Nick Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps his Department is taking on the international trade of ivory; and what discussions he has had with his counterparts in the  (a) Chadian,  (b) Kenyan and  (c) Indian governments on the matter.

Joan Ruddock: The UK continues to take very seriously the threat to elephant conservation posed by ivory poaching. In recent years the UK, along with EU partners, has supported the establishment of baseline data to monitor illegal killing and trade in elephants and their ivory by providing funds to support the MIKE and ETIS programmes under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES). During the preparations for the 55(th) CITES Standing Committee on 2 June 2007, where approval of the stockpile sale was agreed in line with previously set criteria, the UK played an active role in considering the evidence.
	At the subsequent 14(th) Convention of the Parties to CITES which took place in the Hague in June, a longer term agreement was reached among African range states on ivory trade. Following a one-off sale of an amount of stockpiled ivory increased to take account of the passage of time, the proceeds of which are to be used for conservation purposes, it is now agreed that there will be a nine year resting period on any further sales of ivory. This will allow the effects of the one-off stockpile sale to be properly assessed. The agreement also includes the establishment of an African elephant Trust Fund to address elephant conservation issues across the continent. The UK fully supported this proposal when it was presented to the CITES Parties, and will be looking to monitor the reported impacts of the stockpiled ivory sales, and broader elephant conservation measures, particularly in its newly elected position as a member of the CITES Standing Committee.
	There have been no bi-lateral meetings at a Ministerial level with Chad, Kenya or India specifically on this issue although my predecessor spoke to Julius Kipng'etich (the Head of the Kenyan Wildlife Services) and Prof. Kivutha Kibwana (the Minister of Environment and Natural Resources) in the margins of the Ministerial event at the Conference in June to assure them of our support for elephant conservation and to agree to meet later in the year to discuss this further.

Lighting: Waste Disposal

Phil Willis: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  what plans he has made for the safe disposal of mercury-containing energy-efficient light bulbs when the changeover from filament bulbs occurs in 2009;
	(2)  what provisions he has made to encourage householders to dispose of energy efficient light bulbs in a safe and environmentally-friendly manner.

Joan Ruddock: In the UK, we have agreed an ambition with manufacturers and retailers to phase out the sale of inefficient light bulbs by 2011. The UK will be one of the first European countries to remove inefficient bulbs from stores; saving approximately 1.2 million tonnes of carbon by 2012, as well as saving consumers money on their energy bills. We also continue to support the European Commission in working towards regulating against inefficient bulbs by 2010, with a phase out over the following years.
	There is no requirement for waste energy efficient light bulbs to be separately collected from households. However, since 1 July, energy efficient light bulbs have been required to be disposed of in accordance with the requirements of the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Regulations. Householders will be able to take waste energy efficient light bulbs to designated collection facilities, in the main local authority civic amenity sites. From this point, producers will be financially responsible for their onward collection, treatment and recycling, where most of the mercury can be recovered.
	Retailers have obligations under the WEEE Regulations to provide consumers with information on:
	(i) the collection and take-back systems available to them;
	(ii) their role in contributing to the reuse and recycling of WEEE;
	(iii) and the potential effects on the environment and human health as a result of the presence of hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment.
	Under the WEEE Permitting Regulations, mercury must be removed from energy efficient light-bulbs where they are collected separately. A minimum of 80 per cent. by weight of the materials must be recycled or recovered.
	Energy efficient light bulbs contain a small amount of mercury (less than 5 milligrams per lamp) and should be disposed of responsibly. There is increasing evidence that the mercury in each energy efficient bulb is considerably outweighed by the mercury put into the atmosphere through the additional electricity generation required to operate a traditional bulb.

Nappies

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when the revised life cycle assessment (LCA) for disposable and reusable nappies in the UK will be published; and what plans his Department has for publicising the revised LCA on nappies.

Joan Ruddock: The Environment Agency expects to publish a further report on nappies by the end of the year. This study is part of the Agency's science programme and will be published on their website in the same way as other scientific reports. Any further publicity will be considered jointly with DEFRA and the Waste and Resources Action Programme, who are jointly funding the study.

Nappies

John Leech: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  if his Department will reassess the adequacy of financial support for the promotion of reusable nappies following the conclusion of the revised life cycle assessment;
	(2)  what progress has been made in setting up a stand-alone organisation to take over running of WRAP's Real Nappy Campaign; and what financial contribution his Department will provide to it.

Joan Ruddock: The Real Nappy Programme budget for the April 2003 to March 2006 period was £2.3 million, with some funding continuing in 2006-07 to allow the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) to meet existing commitments. No further direct funding is planned over 2007-08.
	WRAP intends to hand over the work on real nappies to other interested parties during the course of this financial year. WRAP is currently discussing with a range of interested parties the possible arrangements for the future management of the Real Nappy Programme. Once WRAP has established the options, including funding needs, for taking forward this work, it will discuss them with DEFRA. It is, therefore, not yet possible to state DEFRA's future financial contribution, if any, to the Real Nappy Programme.

Pollution: Liverpool Bay

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what total tonnage of sewage sludge was dumped in Liverpool Bay in each of the last 30 years; what assessment he has made of the long-term impact of sewage sludge dumping on the marine environment; and if he will make a statement.

Jonathan R Shaw: My predecessor's reply to the hon. Member's similar question on 20 November 2003,  Official Report, 1230W, estimated that a total of 40- 50 million tonnes of sewage sludge was deposited by water companies, and predecessor water authorities, in the north east Irish Sea/Liverpool Bay in the 30 years up to 31 December 1998. This practice was banned after that date.
	The following table sets out the readily available information (1976 to 1998) on the annual quantities (tonnes) of sewage sludge disposed of in Liverpool Bay.
	
		
			   Wet weight (tonnes) 
			 1976 1,587,615 
			 1977 1,753,633 
			 1978 1,646,097 
			 1979 1,357,645 
			 1980 1,759,883 
			 1981 1,692,680 
			 1982 1,642,410 
			 1983 1,299,200 
			 1984 1,282,800 
			 1985 1,487,595 
			 1986 1,541,456 
			 1987 1,626,036 
			 1988 1,629,123 
			 1989 1,645,609 
			 1990 1,735,805 
			 1991 1,879,500 
			 1992 1,901,447 
			 1993 1,983,241 
			 1994 1,955,551 
			 1995 2,012,667 
			 1996 1,934,356 
			 1997 1,874,975 
			 1998 1,218,289 
		
	
	Monitoring of the historic sewage sludge disposal site in Liverpool Bay has continued since the end of disposal in 1998 under the auspices of the National Marine Monitoring Program, now the Clean Seas Environment Monitoring Program. I understand the disposal of sewage sludge in Liverpool Bay has appeared to have very little effect on the receiving marine benthic environment of the area.
	A reduction in marine invertebrate community variability was observed during disposal activities and an increase in variability after the end of the activity. When reference and disposal site sediment samples were compared no statistical differences in sediment characteristics were identified.

Tin: Irish Sea

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  what recent assessment he has made of the effect of tribulyte tin from the bulk of ships on the marine environment in the Irish Sea;
	(2)  what recent assessment he has made of the impact of nutrients discharged by rivers on  (a) estuaries,  (b) beaches adjacent to estuaries and  (c) the Irish Sea;
	(3)  what pollution incidents involving more than 0.01 tonnes of spillage occurred in the Irish Sea in each year since 2003; on what date each occurred; what the size was of the spillage; and which company  (a) reported and  (b) was responsible for each;
	(4)  what the cost was of monitoring pollution levels in the Irish Sea in each of the last 30 years;
	(5)  which  (a) statutory and  (b) non-statutory bodies monitored pollution levels in the Irish Sea in each of the last 30 years;
	(6)  what assessment he has made of the effect of polychlorinated biophenyls on the marine environment in the Irish Sea over the last 30 years;
	(7)  if he will make a statement on the recent co-operation between the UK Government and the Irish Government on monitoring pollution in the Irish Sea;
	(8)  what recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the Jonus project in environmental monitoring;
	(9)  what level of funding has been given to the Jonus project in each year of its existence;
	(10)  what estimate he has made of the quantities of  (a) synthetic chemicals,  (b) mercury,  (c) cadmium,  (d) lead,  (e) zinc,  (f) nickel and  (g) arsenic released into the Irish Sea from establishments in the UK in each of the last 30 years; what recent changes there have been in the reduction targets in each case; and if he will make a statement.

Jonathan R Shaw: England and Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland and the Irish Republic will all have their specific mechanisms for monitoring and reporting on pollution in the Irish sea.
	The main joint working on the state of the Irish sea is carried out within the framework of the Oslo and Paris (OSPAR) Convention for the Protection of the North East Atlantic to which the UK and the Republic of Ireland are contracting parties, where regular assessments are done, information gathered by the various organisations is brought together and assessments are made and published in the OSPAR Quality Status Report (QSR). The last QSR was published in the year 2000, and included a regional report on the Celtic seas. The next QSR will be published in 2010.
	The UK has also recently published "Charting Progress" which provides the first integrated assessment of the state of the seas across the whole of the UK continental shelf. "Charting Progress" includes a feeder report on Marine Environment Quality which focuses on the impacts of human activities on the marine environment and its resources, and provides assessments of the status and trends based on current knowledge and information. Much of the information given below is derived from the OSPAR QSR and "Charting Progress".
	The Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (CEFAS), together with colleagues in the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development for Northern Ireland and the Fisheries Research Services in Scotland have carried out studies on the effects of tributyl tin (TBT) on dogwhelks in the seas around the UK, including the Irish sea. The results, based on surveys between 1994 and 2003, show that effects on reproduction only appear to be significant within a few hundred metres from point source discharges of TBT.
	Regarding the impacts of nutrients, the UK completed an Assessment of the Eutrophication Status of UK Marine Waters in 2002 which found that the only eutrophication problem areas in the Irish sea were (a) the Inner Belfast Lough and tidal Lagan impoundment, and (b) Quoile Pondage in Strangford Lough. A further eutrophication assessment of UK marine waters, which is based on observations made between 2000 and 2005 and includes estuaries, is under way and will be published in 2008. The Environment Agency also monitors the eutrophication status of surface waters under the nitrates and urban wastewater treatment directives.
	With regards to pollution incidents involving more than 0.01 tonnes of spillage which have occurred in the Irish sea, the Environment Agency's pollution incident database shows that there were 237 recorded incidents on or close to the Irish sea coast between 2004 and 2006. These cover a range of incident types and severities. Not all of these spillages or releases will have entered the waters of the Irish sea.
	The monitoring of pollution in the Irish sea is carried out by a number of organisations in England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. Funds are generally allocated on a national basis and it is not possible to distinguish the specific amount of money allocated to monitoring pollution levels in the Irish sea.
	The UK statutory bodies which monitor or fund the monitoring of pollution levels in UK marine waters are as follows: Defra, the Department of the Environment Northern Ireland, Welsh Assembly Government, Scottish Executive, the Fisheries Research Services in Scotland, the Environment Agency, the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency, the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development in Northern Ireland, the Department for Transport, the Department of Trade and Industry and the Marine Coastguard Agency. Most of these will deal with some aspects of monitoring in the Irish sea.
	A number of non-statutory bodies will also monitor pollution levels in the Irish sea, including marine institutes, universities, industries, and non-governmental organisations, but Defra does not hold records on this.
	We are not aware of any recent assessments of specific direct effects of polychlorinated biphenyls (CBs) on the marine environment in the Irish sea. However, CB concentrations in sediments were measured at a number of sites around the UK between 1999 and 2002, with a number of samples in estuaries exceeding the ecotoxicological assessment criteria for CBs. Work is continuing on possible effects on marine mammals.
	The UK Government cooperate with the Irish Government in the framework of the OSPAR Convention for the Protection of the North East Atlantic through participation in its Joint Assessment and Monitoring Programme. Regular joint assessments of the status of the various regions of the North East Atlantic are made and, in the year 2000, a Quality Status Report (QSR) on the Celtic seas was published by OSPAR, which involved sustained contact between officials and scientists from all countries bordering the Celtic seas in providing the various assessments. Preparations are under way for the next QSR in 2010, and the cooperation continues.
	The Joint Nutrient Study (Jonus) was a research programme carried out in the 1990s, which ended in 1999. The first phase of the programme established the extent of loss of nutrients (nitrogen, phosphorus and silicon) from the water that passes through estuaries from the land to the sea. The programme established some general rules that could be applied in nutrient budgeting and how this knowledge could be used in the management of marine eutrophication. The second phase of the programme compared two sea areas in terms of the impact on aspects of marine biology associated with land based nutrient input. The programme established a basis for further understanding the need to manage nutrient inputs and the criteria that could be used to distinguish any undesirable disturbance resulting from anthropogenic nutrient enrichment. This knowledge has been deployed in support of assessments under the relevant EC directives and for the OSPAR Convention.
	Information help by Defra on the funding for the JONUS programme (Joint Assessment of Nutrients Study) shows that between 1990 and 1995, for JONUS1, there were two main funding components with the Department of the Environment (DoE)/Department for Environment, Transport and the Regions (Detr) contributing approximately £0.5 million a year and the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (MAFF) contributing about £0.6 million a year. JONUS2 took place between 1996 and 1999. The broad levels of funding for each year were £0.8 million, £0.95 million and £0.25 million respectively.
	Information on UK loads of lindane, mercury, cadmium, lead, zinc, lindane and PCBs is held centrally only for the period 1990 to 2005 and is reported to the OSPAR Convention for the Protection of the North East Atlantic. Defra does not hold information on loads of nickel and arsenic.
	Between 1990 and 2005, the estimated riverine and direct loads of cadmium, mercury, lead, zinc, lindane and PCB to the Irish sea (based on an average of the upper and lower values reported) reduced as shown in the following table. The figures include both naturally occurring sources of the metals and anthropogenic releases from point and diffuse sources.
	
		
			   1990  2005 
			 Cd (tonne) 27.84 1.48 
			 Hg (tonne) 4.56 0.29 
			 Pb (tonne) 81.26 67.22 
			 Zn (tonne) 754.95 403.27 
			 g-HCH (kg) 33.09 10.93 
			 PCB (kg) 75.95 26.00

Urban Areas: Land Drainage

Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much funding his Department allocated to  (a) researching and  (b) implementing sustainable urban drainage systems in each year since 2000.

Phil Woolas: Since 2000, the Department has funded research relating to sustainable drainage systems as follows:
	
		
			   £ 
			 2005-06 12,000 
			 2006-07 35,000 
			 2007-08-2009 20,000 
		
	
	In addition, DEFRA is funding 15 pilot projects across England looking at integrated urban drainage issues in a broader context. Several of these include consideration of issues relating to sustainable drainage systems. The total project value is £1.7 million.

Waste Disposal

Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what advice his Department has given on the content of core strategies for waste disposal and waste treatment.

Joan Ruddock: holding answer 5 July 2007
	Waste Strategy for England 2007, published on 24 May, sets out a range of measures to achieve the key objectives of less waste, more recycling and recovery of energy from waste and better treatment of residual waste. The strategy and its annexes contain a wealth of information and advice that should inform the development of more local strategies on waste—by organisations in both the public and private sectors. The strategy is available at www.defra.gov.uk/waste/strategy and in the Library of House.
	The Government expects all local authorities to have in place a fit for purpose and up-to-date Municipal Waste Management Strategy. In some two-tier areas this is a statutory requirement. Local authorities can be exempt from this requirement where they have met their recycling targets and obligations under the Landfill Allowance Trading Scheme (LATS), or for achieving an excellent or four star rating in their Comprehensive Performance Assessment. The Government have published two guidance documents to assist local authorities, setting out what Government expect strategies to contain and providing advice on the production of a strategy. Both documents are available from the waste pages of the Defra website.
	Advice and support on business resource efficiency, including on reducing waste and recovering value from waste that is produced, is provided through the Business Resource Efficiency and Waste (BREW) programme. This programme funds organisations such as the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP), the Environment Agency, Envirowise, National Industrial Symbiosis Programme (NISP) and Business Links to support businesses in effectively reducing and managing their waste.

Waste Disposal: Domestic Wastes

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps his Department will be taking to reduce the amount of household waste not re-used, recycled or composted by 29 per cent. by 2010 as set out in the Revised Waste Strategy; and if he will make a statement.

Joan Ruddock: "Waste Strategy for England 2007", published on 24 May 2007 sets out a number of measures which will support the achievement of this target.
	Examples of measures in the strategy that will drive waste reduction include:
	(i) a consultation on proposals to remove the ban on local authorities introducing financial schemes to incentivise households waste reduction and recycling; and
	(ii) establishing material and sector-based voluntary agreements with businesses, such as the agreement with the Direct Marketing Association to develop an opt-out for unaddressed direct mail to reduce the amount of unwanted direct mail.
	Examples of measures that will increase the amount of waste re-used, recycled and composted include:
	(i) reducing single use shopping bags through a retailer commitment to a programme of action to reduce the environmental impact of carrier bags by 25 per cent. by the end of 2008;
	(ii) extending national information and awareness campaigns to promote waste reduction and re-use measures; and
	(iii) continued support for the Waste and Resources Action Programme's home composting scheme, which will distribute a further one million supported compost bins by 2008 alongside engagement with householders to promote the on-going use of their compost bins.
	These, and other measures set out in the strategy, will collectively help to achieve the target of a 29 per cent. reduction in the amount of household waste not re-used, recycled or composted by 2010 in England.
	Further details on these measures are available in the strategy which is available on the Defra website and in the Library of the House.

Whales: Conservation

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will make a statement on the outcome of the 59(th) annual meeting of the International Whaling Commission.

Jonathan R Shaw: At this year's annual meeting of the International Whaling Commission (IWC), the UK and other anti-whaling countries were able to sponsor and secure several key resolutions: calling on Japan to halt its lethal "scientific" research programme; promoting the non-lethal use of cetaceans; and reaffirming the continued need for the IWC moratorium on commercial whaling. This last resolution subsequently served us well in the Conference of Parties to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species, enabling us to defeat proposals aimed at eventually allowing trade in whale products to take place.
	My hon. Friends and ministerial predecessors, the hon. Members for Brent, North (Barry Gardiner) and for Exeter (Mr. Bradshaw) respectively, have recently jointly written to all hon. Members to inform them about the outcome of this year's IWC meeting.

Wildlife: Trade

Graham Allen: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will provide funding for the workshop on wildlife trade on the internet to be established following the fourteenth meeting of the Conference of Parties to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species.

Joan Ruddock: The UK presented the proposal to convene a workshop to look at the scope of the problem of wildlife trade on the internet at the recent CITES Conference of Parties. The proposal was adopted by consensus by CITES Parties. DEFRA also announced at the Conference that it would be providing £15,000 towards the cost of organising the workshop once the initial data-gathering exercise on the scale of the problem of illegal trade on the internet has been completed.

Wood: Procurement

Roger Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans he has to bring forward measures to require timber procured for use in the  (a) public and  (b) private sector to come from sustainable sources.

Joan Ruddock: Central Departments in England are already required to seek to purchase timber and timber products that derive from legally harvested trees grown in sustainably managed forests. They are advised to do this by making the supply of legally harvested timber a condition of contract and by giving preference to sustainably produced timber if offered. From April 2009 Departments will be required to demand that timber from sustainably managed forests or timber licensed under the Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade scheme only be supplied. From April 2015 Departments will be required to demand that timber from sustainably managed forests only is supplied.
	The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs will continue to promote responsible timber procurement to the wider public sector and to the private sector at home and abroad whenever suitable opportunities arise.

WALES

Departments: Pay

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many and what percentage of staff in his Department are making additional voluntary contributions to their pensions; and what steps he has taken in the last year to encourage more people to make such contributions.

Peter Hain: No Wales Office staff are making additional voluntary contributions to their pensions, but a small number of staff are buying added years through deductions from pay.
	Pension scheme members receive an annual benefit statement showing the pension built up to date, and also a projection of pension on retirement if the member continues in service to scheme pension age. The benefit statement provides details of the civil service pensions website where staff can obtain further information, including on options for making additional voluntary contributions to boost their pension.

INNOVATION, UNIVERSITIES AND SKILLS

Education Maintenance Allowance

Chris Mullin: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what assessment he has made of the impact of the education maintenance allowance on recruitment to work-based learning programmes; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: I have been asked to reply.
	The Learning and Skills Council has commissioned a review of the effect of the extension of education maintenance allowance to work-based learning programmes through the Association of Learning Providers. The objectives of the review were to liaise with learning providers and key partners in the regions to identify key issues, areas of good practice and how these can be expanded to national level.
	The review identified that although starts on the Entry to Employment (E2E) programme were down nationally at the beginning of the 2006-07 year in comparison to the same period in 2005-06, these have now recovered and recruitment is in line with 2006-07 projections,
	A series of dissemination events took place to share good practice with the work-based learning provider network. The Learning and Skills Council will be undertaking an evaluation of the first year of extension of education maintenance allowance to young people in non-employed work-based learning and a full report is expected to be available in January 2008.

Nanotechnology

Ian Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills pursuant to the answer of 20 June 2007,  Official Report, column 1823W, on nanotechnology, what the split is between specialist and directed (managed programmes) nanotechnology funding and responsive mode nanotechnology funding within the research councils.

John Denham: The Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) commits on average £30-35 million each year on nanotechnology in responsive mode, and in 2006-07 EPSRC supported £5.5 million of managed activity focused on nanotechnology.
	The National Environment Research Council (NERC) currently supports grants on nanotechnology worth approximately £0.5 million from responsive mode and approximately £1 million through two separate directed programmes: the environmental nanoscience initiative (jointly funded by DEFRA, the Environment Agency and the national environmental research (NERC) and the environment and human health programme—jointly funded from NERC; the Medical Research Council (MRC); Wellcome Trust; the Economic and Social Research Council; the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC), EPSRC, MoD, DEFRA and the Environment Agency.
	In 2005-06, the BBSRC spent £3.328 million on nanotechnology through responsive mode and £1.039 million via directed initiatives. In addition, BBSRC funds research into the six nanotechnology application areas electronics, communications and informatics; drug delivery systems; instrumentation, tooling and metrology; novel materials; sensors and actuators; tissue engineering, medical implants and devices. Expenditure on these applications in 2005-06 was £8.868 million via responsive mode and £5.331 million via directed initiatives. BBSRC also funds nanotechnology and related research via core strategic grants to institutes and through studentships, to a value of £4.817 million in 2005-06.
	All Medical Research Council and Economic and Social Research Council funding for nanotechnology has been in responsive mode.

Nanotechnology

Ian Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills whether his Department classifies responsive mode nanotechnology funding in the same category as direct nanotechnology funding.

John Denham: The research councils are responsible for determining the classification of their funding into various categories, including the distribution between responsive mode and directed/managed funding. The technology programme funding is through directed/managed programmes.

Nanotechnology

Ian Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how many long-term grants for nanotechnology of  (a) over four years duration and  (b) over £5 million in value the Government has funded in the last 10 years.

John Denham: The Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council has funded seven grants over four years in duration. The Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council has funded 17 nanotechnology or related grants in the last three years, which have a duration of more than four years. It has also funded 12 institute core strategic grants projects with spend in four or more years on nanotechnology or related research. The Medical Research Council funds four long-term programmes of research in its institutes on nanotechnology. The technology programme has funded 18 nanotechnology grants of over four years duration.
	The Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council has funded seven nanotechnology grants worth over £5 million, and the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council has funded one large nanotechnology-related grant over £5 million value in the last three years. The technology programme has funded two grants over £5 million.

Nanotechnology

Ian Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how much of the £100 million invested in nanotechnology on collaborative research and development since 2005 was associated with  (a) nanotechnologies and  (b) micro-technologies.

John Denham: The Technology Strategy Board micronano technology initiative has invested under two themes:
	A portfolio of 56 collaborative research and development projects, broadly divided into 30 micro technology projects and 26 nanotechnology projects (although some have a cross-shared interest). The approximate division of support is £16.4 million (against £333 million project costs) for micro technology and £14 million (against £32 million project costs) for nanotechnology; and
	The network of 24 UK based micro/nano technology centres with a total budget of £54 million where all of the centres address both micro and nano technology.

Nanotechnology

Ian Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the impact of responsive mode funding for nanotechnology research on the research base;
	(2)  what benchmarking he has conducted of non-responsive mode funding streams for nanotechnology research in the UK against other countries in each of the last 10 years.

John Denham: The Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) undertook an analysis of the nanotechnology research base at its nanotechnology theme day in 2005. This led to the development of the EPSRC nanotechnology strategy. The theme day report is available on the EPSRC website,
	http://www.epsrc.ac.uk.
	The Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) Tools and Resources Strategy Panel is responsible for the BBSRCs strategy for bionanotechnology. It considered BBSRC's remit and investment in this area in December 2004. BBSRC has also contributed to development of the EPSRC nanotechnology strategy. In 2007, the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) published a report on "Nanotechnology: from the science to the social" which presents an overview of the research landscape (available on ESRC website at http://www.esrcsocietytoday.ac.uk/).
	The Taylor report commissioned by Lord Sainsbury in his capacity as Science Minister reviewed other countries' expenditure. Following the publication of that report officials undertook a series of visits to micro and nanotechnology centres of excellence and businesses in the US and Europe between 200land 2003 to investigate the range of funding mechanisms used. As a result the micro and nanotechnology manufacturing initiative was launched in February 2004.

Schools: City Academies

David Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what role his Department will play in helping the Government to meet their targets on creating trust schools and academies.

John Denham: A number of universities and colleges are already working with academies and trust schools. The Department is looking forward to working with the Department of Children, Schools and Families to raise awareness among universities and colleges of the opportunities to work with trust schools and academies, and the benefits that school partnerships can bring to both schools and their partners.

Students: Fees and Charges

David Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what representations he has received on raising the cap on university top-up fees.

Bill Rammell: A number of views about the future of tuition fees and the financing of universities have been expressed to the Government. We promised at the time of the 2004 legislation that the fee cap would not be lifted in real terms until an independent commission had examined evidence from the first three years of the new fees regime. That remains the case. Draft terms of reference for the commission were published in January 2004.

Students: Loans

Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what the  (a) average and  (b) maximum student loan was in (i) Cornwall, (ii) the south-west and (iii) England in each year since 1997.

Bill Rammell: The available data are given in the following table.
	
		
			  Students domiciled in Cornwall local authority, the south-west Government office region, and England, academic years 1999-2000 to 2005-06 
			  Average value of income-contingent loan  (£) 
			  Academic year( 1)  Cornwall local authority  South-west Government office region  England 
			 1999-2000 3,350 3,240 3,180 
			 2000-01 3,290 3,190 3,160 
			 2001-02 3,350 3,250 3,190 
			 2002-03 3,410 3,290 3,240 
			 2003-04 3,370 3,330 3,310 
			 2004-05 3,400 3,390 3,390 
			 2005-06(2) 3,440 3,450 3,470 
			 (1) Data are not available prior to 1999-2000. (2) Provisional.  Note: 1. Figures are for students domiciled in the area shown, and are rounded to the nearest 10.  Source: Student Loans Company 
		
	
	The maximum amount of maintenance loan to which a student is entitled is dependent upon where they are living during their study, rather than their domicile, The rates are given in the following table:
	
		
			  Maximum student loans for maintenance in 2006-07 
			  £ 
			  Location of study  Full year rates  Final year rates( 1) 
			 Students living away from their parents' home and studying in London Up to 6,170 Up to 5,620 
			 Students living away from their parents' home and studying elsewhere Up to 4,405 Up to 4,080 
			 Students living at their parents' home (London and elsewhere) Up to 3,415 Up to 3,085 
			 (1) The amounts of loan are lower in the final year as students leave higher education at the end of the summer and will not need financial support over the summer holiday.

Students: Loans

Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what the Government expect the average debt to be of university students graduating in each of the next five years.

Bill Rammell: The Student Income and Expenditure Survey 2004-05, published on 30 March 2006, is a comprehensive study on students' income, expenditure, borrowing and debt. It showed that English domiciled full-time students graduating in the academic year 2004-05 anticipated, on average, a total debt of £7,918. For those commencing courses after the introduction of variable fees in the 2008-07 academic year we expect average student debt of around £15,000.

Students: Loans

Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how many university students received student loans in  (a) England,  (b) the South West and  (c) Cornwall in each year since 1997.

Bill Rammell: holding answer 4 July 2007
	The available data are given in the table.
	
		
			  Numbers of students in receipt of an income-contingent student loan( 1) —Students domiciled in England, the South West Government office region, and Cornwall local authority, academic years 1999/2000 to 2005/06 
			  Thousand 
			  Academic year  England  South West Government office region  Cornwall local authority 
			 1999/2000(2) 368 38 4 
			 2000/01 536 56 6 
			 2001/02 629 65 7 
			 2002/03 666 68 7 
			 2003/04 682 76 8 
			 2004/05 693 75 8 
			 2005/06(3) 719 78 8 
			 (1) Figures include all students in receipt of an income-contingent maintenance loan in thousands and are rounded to the nearest 1,000 students. (2) Data are not available prior to 1999/2000. (3 )Provisional.  Source: Student Loans Company.

Train to Gain Programme

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills 
	(1)  what plans he has to expand the number of businesses making the Skills Pledge in relation to Train to Gain; whether there is a minimum standard of training for such businesses; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what proportion of businesses making the Skills Pledge employ fewer than  (a) 20 and  (b) 500 people;
	(3)  what web-based tools are provided by the Government to employers making the Skills Pledge.

Bill Rammell: On 14 June the Government launched the Skills Pledge with commitments from 157 employers with more than 1.7 million employees. Since the launch, businesses have continued to register their interest in the Skills Pledge through the Learning and Skills Council's (LSC) Train to Gain website and helpline. The Learning and Skills Council is responsible for the operational aspects of the Skills Pledge, including the size and location of every employer making a skills pledge. I have asked Mark Haysom to write to the hon. Member and a copy of his letter will be placed in the Library of the House.
	Every employer that makes a skills pledge is given access to a skills broker who will work with them to ensure that they better understand the skills needs of their business and to help them source the highest quality provider to meet those needs. As part of our ongoing drive on quality the Government launched, in June, a new standard for employer responsiveness and vocational excellence in providers. The new standard will be an improvement tool for providers and will offer employers a single employer-verified badge to look for when sourcing workforce development provision. This will help employers to get best value for money from their investment in training by both reducing the time taken to source the highest quality provision and improving the quality of provision overall.
	The Government continue to develop new and innovative web based tools to support employers in all their business aspects. There is already a web based registration process for employers to register their details and the LSG are currently reviewing a range of diagnostic tools with a view to posting or referencing these on the Skills Pledge website. Skills Brokers, as part of their business analysis, will help employers find e-tools that will enable them to help themselves, including Investors in People interactive— a web based tool provided through our support for Investors in People which will be available from November 2007 and the Business Performance Diagnostic which is available through Business Link. In line with the Government's e-strategy we shall continue to develop further tools where employers tell us there is a real demand.

Train to Gain Programme

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what training and qualifications skills brokers in the Train to Gain scheme must have.

Bill Rammell: Train to Gain is a new service that reached national coverage in August 2006 and is a critical part of the drive to make this country's skills world class. Skills brokers are contracted for and performance managed by the Learning and Skills Council. It is a contractual requirement that, within 12 months of their appointment, every skills broker meets the new independently assessed City and Guilds accredited skills broker standard as part of the Business Support Profession.

CHILDREN, SCHOOLS AND FAMILIES

City Academies

David Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what his targets for academies are on  (a) the total number of (i) institutions and (ii) pupil places and  (b) geographical distribution.

Jim Knight: The Government are firmly committed to establishing 400 academies, There are no pre-determined targets relating to pupil places or their geographical distribution. The academies programme targets areas of inadequate educational attainment. Some academies are brand new schools in areas which need the extra places but most academies replace weak or under-performing schools. Academies will be established in areas where the need is greatest and we expect that this will produce a wide geographical distribution.

City Academies

David Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many academies he expects to be opened in each of the next five years.

Jim Knight: There are now 47 open academies. By September 2007 we expect there to be 82 open academies, and a further 50 are projected to open in September 2008. The number of academies that open in subsequent years will depend on the final allocation of the Department's comprehensive spending review settlement.

Departments: Buildings

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families which buildings his Department occupies; and which buildings were occupied by the Department for Education and Skills on 26 June 2007.

Kevin Brennan: The Department for Children, Schools and Families occupies the following five buildings:
	Sanctuary Buildings, Great Smith street, London;
	Caxton House, Tothill street, London;
	Moorfoot, Sheffield;
	Castle View House, Runcorn;
	Mowden Hall, Darlington.
	The same five buildings were also occupied by the Department for Education and Skills on the 26 of June 2007.

Departments: Marketing

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what the cost was of creating signs displaying his Department's name for ministerial offices.

Kevin Brennan: There are no signs displaying the Department's name on ministerial offices, and therefore no costs were incurred.

Departments: Marketing

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families on what date a new sign for his building was commissioned.

Kevin Brennan: We commissioned a new sign for the Department for Children, Schools and Families on 28 June 2007.

Departments: Marketing

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how much has been spent on external consultancy fees involved in the  (a) relocation and  (b) re-branding of his Department, broken down by (i) company involved and (ii) services provided since 26 June.

Kevin Brennan: There was no spend on consultancy relating to relocation or re-branding.

Departments: Missing Persons

Helen Southworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families whether  (a) he and  (b) Ministers or officials from his Department attended the meeting of the National Missing Persons Strategic Oversight Group on 27 June; what steps his Department is taking following the meeting; whether he expects to attend the next meeting; and if he will make a statement.

Kevin Brennan: The Missing Persons Strategic Oversight Group is chaired by the Association of Chief Police Officers and is primarily supported by Government through the Home Office. DCSF officials attend by invitation, and one of my officials attended the last meeting on 27 June. Officials will continue to attend future meetings, reporting back to me through the usual management channels.
	At the June meeting, provisional recommendations from our joint work with The Children's Society on young runaways were discussed. We expect to be discussing these further with The Children's Society over the weeks to come, along with any other options for further action that the report presents.

Education: Departmental Responsibilities

David Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families which responsibilities of the former Department for Education and Skills his Department holds; whether responsibilities have been transferred to his Department from any other department; and what (i) agencies and (ii) other bodies his Department is responsible for.

Kevin Brennan: I refer the hon. Member for Havant to:
	the Prime Minister's written ministerial statement of 28 June 2007, Machinery of Government—Departmental Organisation; and
	the document, 'Machinery of Government: Departmental Organisation', available on the Cabinet Office website at:
	http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/reports/government_changes/index.asp.

Schools: Buildings

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many Portacabin classrooms are in use in  (a) primary and  (b) secondary schools in each local education authority area in England.

Jim Knight: Temporary buildings data supplied to my Department by local authorities do not show the names of manufacturers.
	Central Government capital support for investment in schools has increased from under £700 million in 1996-97 to £6.4 billion in 2007-08 and will rise further to £8.0 billion by 2010-11. Progress is being made year-by-year in improving the quality of the school building stock. The bulk of schools capital is now allocated by formula to authorities and schools so that they can address their local priorities, including the replacement of decayed temporary accommodation, on which we have set a high priority. Given the high levels of funding, authorities have the opportunity to replace temporary buildings where they are considered to be unsuitable.
	Modern, high quality mobile or demountable buildings provide a good environment for teaching and learning where there is short-term need. They might, for instance, be needed to cope with a short-term increase in pupil numbers, or where extensive remodelling or rebuilding of permanent accommodation means providing temporary accommodation on the school site, rather than transporting children elsewhere.

Schools: Repairs and Maintenance

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families whether he plans to set a target for clearing repairs to school buildings identified as required but unfunded in the Asset Management Planning data collected from local education authorities in 2005.

Jim Knight: Together with any backlog maintenance, the asset management planning condition data supplied to the Department by local education authorities show future requirements over a five-year period. The backlog component is not specifically identified, but it is estimated that future requirements account for the majority of the costs shown in the data. All buildings suffer dilapidation and maintenance is regularly needed to counter this. It is not viable to eliminate future maintenance requirements, but the backlog is being tackled and the cost of urgent work has reduced by approximately 30 per cent. against the data received in 2001.
	Central Government capital support for investment in schools has increased from under £700 million in 1996-97 to £6.4 billion in 2007-08 and will rise further to £8.0 billion by 2010-11. The bulk of schools capital is allocated by formula to authorities and schools so that they can address their local priorities, including maintenance. While reducing maintenance requirements is a long-term aim, the primary objectives for funding are to raise educational standards and tackle local deprivation. A substantial proportion of capital funding is targeted at transformational programmes, such as Building Schools for the Future and the Primary Capital Programmes. Over time, these programmes will significantly reduce future maintenance requirements.

Secondary Education: Colchester

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what recent discussions officials in his Department have had with Essex local education authority on secondary education provision in Colchester constituency; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: holding answer 5 July 2007
	Senior officials from the Department of Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) including the Schools Commissioner, have met officers from Essex county council to discuss, among other issues, secondary school provision in Colchester. There is continuing concern about standards at Alderman Blaxill School, Sir Charles Lucas Arts College and The Thomas Lord Audley School and Language College, all of which are currently in special measures.
	DCSF officials and council officers are therefore urgently considering plans for improvement at all these schools. The Department will also work with the local authority on its future strategy for secondary provision in the area, including objectives of securing greater diversity of provision associated with school rebuilding under the Building Schools for the Future programme

TREASURY

Agriculture: Taxation

Roger Williams: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the financial value was to the agricultural industry of the agricultural building tax relief in the years between 2000 and 2006.

Angela Eagle: The corporation tax benefit of agricultural buildings allowances is estimated to have been £5 million in 2002, £6 million in 2003, £7 million in 2004 and £6 million in 2005. Figures for other years are not available.
	The corresponding figures for unincorporated businesses cannot be reliably estimated separately from industrial buildings allowances.

Average Earnings

Jim Cousins: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his estimate is of the percentage of average earnings growth in each month of financial year 2006-07 which was attributable to bonuses.

Angela Eagle: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	 Letter from Colin Mowl, dated 9 July 2007:
	The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question concerning the percentage of average earnings growth in each month of the financial year 2006-07 which was attributable to bonuses. I am replying in her absence. (148561)
	The information you have requested is not available from the systems used to compile the Average Earnings Index. However, it is possible to see the effect of bonuses by comparing the growth rates for the two series 'Average Earnings—including bonuses' and 'Average Earnings—excluding bonuses' published in Tables 15 and 16 respectively of the Labour Market Statistics First Release. The information is presented below for convenience.
	Note that in March 2007 the growth rate for the including bonus series showed lower growth than the growth rate for the excluding bonus series. This means that in March bonuses were growing at a lower rate than regular pay.
	
		
			  Year on year percentage growth rates (seasonally adjusted) 
			   Average earnings including bonuses  Average earnings excluding bonuses 
			  2006   
			 April 4.0 3.7 
			 May 4.4 3.9 
			 June 4.9 4.0 
			 July 3.9 3.3 
			 August 3.8 3.6 
			 September 4.1 3.7 
			 October 4.2 3.9 
			 November 4.0 3.6 
			 December 3.9 3.6 
			
			  2007   
			 January 4.6 3.5 
			 February 5.2 3.6 
			 March 3.5 3.7

Bacterial Diseases: Death

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer in how many deaths  (a) clostridium difficile,  (b) MRSA and  (c) acinetobacter has been reported as (i) contributing to and (ii) causing death.

Angela Eagle: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	 Letter from Colin Mowl, dated 9 July 2007:
	The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your recent question asking in how many deaths (a) clostridium difficile, (b) MRSA and (c) acinetobactor has (i) been reported as contributing to and (ii) causing death. I am replying in her absence. (148479)
	Special analyses of deaths involving MRSA and  Clostridium difficile are undertaken annually by ONS for England and Wales. These are published annually in Health Statistics Quarterly.
	The latest year for which such figures are available is 2005. These data were released in "Health Statistics Quarterly 33" which is available in the House of Commons library and on the National Statistics website.(1,2,3) These reports contain tables of the number of deaths where MRSA and  Clostridium difficile were reported as the underlying cause of death or were mentioned anywhere on the death certificate.
	There are no routine statistics on deaths involving the gram negative bacterium acinetobacter. Doctors completing death certificates are asked to state the diseases, for example pneumonia, meningitis or septicaemia, which caused or contributed to death. They sometimes specify the micro-organism responsible for such infectious diseases, for example meningococcus, streptococcus pneumoniae etc, but are not required to do so. Indeed, they may not know the organism responsible when certifying the death, or there may be more than one. In addition, causes of death are classified using the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10). As its name implies, this is a classification of diseases not micro-organisms.
	It includes codes for only a limited range of common pathogens. There is no code in any revision of the ICD for acinetobacter.
	(1) Office for National Statistics (2007) Report: Deaths involving  Clostridium difficile: England and Wales, 2001-05. "Health Statistics Quarterly" 33, 71-75.
	(2) Office for National Statistics (2007) Report: Deaths involving MRSA: England and Wales, 2001-05. "Health Statistics Quarterly" 33, 76-81.
	(3) http://www.statistics.gov.uk/StatBase/Product.asp?vlnk=6725

Bank Services

Jim Cousins: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people aged  (a) 0 to 18,  (b) 18 to 24,  (c) 25 to 50,  (d) 50 to 65,  (e) 66 to 84 and  (f) 85 years and over held current bank accounts in each region covered by the regional development agencies at the latest date for which figures are available.

Kitty Ussher: The most recent data available that allows assessment to be made of levels of bank account holding is the Family Resources Survey from 2005-06. The information in the survey is at household level, not individual level.
	This data is broken down to Government office regional level and age of the household reference person (the owner of the household property, or the household member with the highest income).
	
		
			  Households ( T housand) rounded to the nearest 10,000 
			   Age of household reference person 
			  Government office region  Under 25  25 to 49  50 to 64  65 to 84  85 and over( 1) 
			 North East 70 430 230 230 30 
			 North West and Merseyside 180 1,260 690 590 70 
			 Yorks and Humberside 140 850 480 420 40 
			 East Midlands 100 670 390 330 40 
			 West Midlands 130 900 480 450 60 
			 Eastern 150 1,000 520 490 70 
			 London 200 1,610 560 470 60 
			 South East 200 1,460 800 710 110 
			 South West 130 860 520 510 80 
			 Wales 80 470 290 280 40 
			 Scotland 150 950 480 440 50 
			 Northern Ireland 30 280 140 100 10 
			 All 1,560 10,750 5,590 5,030 650 
			 (1) Small sample size.

Census: Carers

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will take steps to ensure that the number of carers is counted in the 2011 Census.

Angela Eagle: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	 Letter from Colin Mowl, dated 9 July 2007:
	The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your recent question asking that the number of carers is counted in the 2011 Census. I am replying in her absence. (148072)
	The inclusion of a question on carers on the 2011 Census is still being considered and the importance of the topic and the value of the data are recognised. Its inclusion is dependent upon space available on the census questionnaire and the requirements from statistics users for competing questions. Consultation on the content of the 2011 Census has identified demand for about six pages worth of questions per person. However, cost constraints and the burden on respondents are likely to limit space to three pages of questions per person and so there are difficult choices to be made.
	The final decision on the content of the 2011 Census will ultimately be for Parliament to make.

Crown Dependencies

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what  (a) financial aid and  (b) assistance was provided by the Government to each of Her Majesty's Crown dependencies in 2005-06.

Kitty Ussher: The Treasury itself made no such payments in 2005-06. In April 2006 it made a payment of some £585,000 to Jersey. This was a refund of Crown hereditary revenues that Jersey had previously paid into the Consolidated Fund. The refund of such receipts is a long-standing arrangement required by the Jersey and Guernsey (Financial Provisions) Act 1947. The Treasury has no knowledge of any payments to the Crown dependencies by other Government Departments.

Departments: Common Purpose

Philip Davies: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much his Department paid to Common Purpose in each of the last five years; for what purpose; and what the outcome of the expenditure was.

Angela Eagle: The payments made by the Treasury to Common Purpose in each of the last five years were as follows:
	
		
			   £ 
			 2002-03 4,230 
			 2003-04 4,704 
			 2004-05 3,525 
			 2005-06 0 
			 2006-07 8,166 
		
	
	The payments were for training courses and events. Records of the outcome of the expenditure are not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Departments: Private Finance Initiative

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the total cost is of all private finance initiative projects for which his Department has responsibility completed since 1997; and what the projected cost is of such projects commissioned or under way.

Angela Eagle: The Treasury has one completed PFI project which relates to the 1 Horse Guards Road building. There are no other projects commissioned or under way. Full details of the 1 Horse Guards Road PFI project have been included in the Treasury's resource accounts in each year since the project's inception in 2002-03. The Treasury's 2006-07 Annual Report and Accounts, including the resource accounts, are available from http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/about/departmental_reports/annual_report07.cfm. and the resource accounts for earlier years are available from www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/about/resourceaccounts/resourceaccounts_index.cfm. The 1 Horse Guards Road project is also included in the list of signed PFI deals at http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/documents/public_private_partnerships/ppp_pfi_stats.cfm, which projects total unitary charge payments, including capital repayments and services, up until 2033-34. The projections for service costs are conditional on the performance of the private sector contractor.

Employment: Mothers

Oliver Heald: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many mothers are in employment.

Angela Eagle: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	 Letter from Colin Mowl, dated 9 July 2007;
	The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question about how many mothers are in employment. I am replying in her absence. (148462)
	Estimates from the Labour Force Survey (LFS) show that in the three months ending June 2006, there were 4.84 million working-age mothers in employment who had dependent children. Dependent children are defined as children aged under 16 and those aged 16-18 who are never-married and in full-time education. As with any sample survey, estimates from the LFS are subject to a margin of uncertainty.

ICT: Manpower

Jim Cousins: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the regional distribution was of software-related employment according to the Labour Force Survey  (a) in 2001 and  (b) in the most recent period for which figures are available.

Angela Eagle: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	 Letter from Colin Mowl, dated 9 July 2007:
	The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Questions about software-related employment by region. I am replying in her absence. (148074)
	The attached table gives the numbers of people employed in software-related occupations by region for the three months ending December for both 2001 and 2006. For the purpose of this question, software related occupations have been defined as information and communication technology managers, IT strategy and planning professionals, software professionals, IT operations technicians, IT user support technicians, database assistants and clerks, computer engineers installation and maintenance. The data are not seasonally adjusted.
	Estimates are taken from the Labour Force Survey (LFS). As with any sample survey, estimates from the LFS are subject to a margin of uncertainty. This is particularly true for some 4-digit occupational codes given in the table.
	
		
			  People in software related occupations( 1)  by region, United Kingdom, not seasonally adjusted 
			  Thousand 
			  Three months ending December each year  Total in software related occupations  1136  Information and communication technology managers  2131  IT strategy and planning professionals  2132  Software professionals  3131 IT operations technicians 
			 2001  
			 United Kingdom 1,009 239 124 298 132 
			 North East 23 3 2 7 4 
			 North West 99 26 9 20 19 
			 Yorkshire and Humberside 50 13 4 11 9 
			 East Midlands 54 14 5 17 8 
			 West Midlands 77 16 12 21 13 
			 Eastern 113 24 14 37 13 
			 London 202 52 27 60 21 
			 South-east 208 51 31 67 18 
			 South-west 83 16 11 31 12 
			 Wales 21 4 2 6 3 
			 Scotland 64 17 7 17 10 
			 Northern Ireland 15 3 2— 5 1 
			   
			  2006  
			 United Kingdom 1,050 287 143 325 120 
			 North East 24 5 3 7 3 
			 North West 101 24 15 24 19 
			 Yorkshire and Humberside 66 18 5 16 11 
			 East Midlands 60 17 8 15 9 
			 West Midlands 78 21 10 24 5 
			 Eastern 110 30 15 37 13 
			 London 192 54 31 65 17 
			 South-east 227 74 35 73 17 
			 South-west 89 19 11 30 11 
			 Wales 21 6 2— 6 4 
			 Scotland 66 16 8 22 8 
			 Northern Ireland 14 2 2 5 2 
			   
		
	
	
		
			  Thousand 
			  Three months ending December each year  3132  IT user support technicians  4136  Database assistants and clerks  5245  Computer engineers installation and maintenance 
			  2001
			 United Kingdom 69 102 46 
			 North East 2 5 1 
			 North West 6 15 4 
			 Yorkshire and Humberside 5 6 2 
			 East Midlands 4 5 1 
			 West Midlands 4 9 3 
			 Eastern 8 10 7 
			 London 14 19 9 
			 South-east 14 19 8 
			 South-west 5 4 4 
			 Wales 1 4 2— 
			 Scotland 5 5 3 
			 Northern Ireland 1 1 3 
			 
			  2006
			 United Kingdom 58 75 42 
			 North East 1 3 2 
			 North West 7 10 3 
			 Yorkshire and Humberside 3 10 2 
			 East Midlands 5 3 3 
			 West Midlands 6 6 6 
			 Eastern 4 6 5 
			 London 10 7 7 
			 South-east 9 12 6 
			 South-west 5 8 5 
			 Wales 2 2 2— 
			 Scotland 3 7 2 
			 Northern Ireland 2 2— 1 
			 (1) Based on the Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) 2000. (2) Sample sizes are too small to provide estimates.  Source: ONS Labour Force Survey (LFS)

Members: Correspondence

Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he expects to answer the letter to his predecessor of 11 May 2007 from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton on Mr. A. Bange.

Jane Kennedy: I have replied to the right hon. Member.

Overseas Aid

David Simpson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what continuing financial commitments the UK has towards countries which gained independence from the British Empire.

Meg Munn: I have been asked to reply.
	Upon independence from the UK, financial (and all other) responsibility passed to the independent country's government.

Stamp Duties: Edinburgh

John Barrett: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much was raised from residential stamp duty on properties within the City of Edinburgh local authority area in each year since 1997.

Kitty Ussher: holding answer 5 July 2007
	Estimates of amounts of stamp duty payable on residential transactions for 2005-06, broken down by each local authority, were deposited in the House of Commons Library last June.
	Reliable information is not available for earlier years.

Stamp Duties: Edinburgh

John Barrett: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many properties within the City of Edinburgh local authority area were subject to  (a) 1 per cent.,  (b) 3 per cent., and  (c) 4 per cent. residential stamp duty in each year since 1997.

Kitty Ussher: holding answer 5 July 2007
	Estimates of the number of property transactions for local authorities are only available for 2004-05, 2005-06 and 2006-07 and are given in the following table for Edinburgh, grouped by stamp duty band.
	
		
			  Edinburgh 
			   Property transactions attracting:  
			   0 per cent. rate( 1)  1 per cent. rate( 2)  3 per cent. rate( 3)  4 per cent. rate( 4)  Total 
			 2004-05 1,460 8,514 1,290 250 11,513 
			 2005-06 5,182 5,658 1,509 331 12,680 
			 2006-07 4,265 7,205 2,224 517 14,211 
			 (1) Residential threshold was £60,000 in 2004-05, £120,000 in 2005-06 and £125,000 in 2006-07. (2) £60,001—£250,000 range in 2004-05, £120,001—£250,000 in 2005-06, £125,001—£250,000 in 2006-07. (3) £250,001 to £500,000. (4) £500,001 or more. 
		
	
	The number of transactions bearing stamp duty will be lower than the number shown in the non-zero bands due to the use of various reliefs, e.g. disadvantaged area relief, group relief, registered social landlord relief etc. There are also some lease transactions which fall in the 0 per cent. band on account of consideration, but which bear stamp duty on the lease rental.

Unemployment: North East Region

Jim Cousins: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many working age workless households with couples without dependent children there were in the north east region in each year since 1992.

Angela Eagle: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	 Letter from Colin Mowl, dated 9 July 2007;
	The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question about workless couple households without dependent children in the North East region. I am replying in her absence. (148209)
	The attached table gives the information requested. The figures in the table are estimates from the Labour Force Survey (LFS), for the three month period ending in May of each year from 1992 to 2006.
	A household is defined as a single person, or a group of people living at the same address who have the address as their only main residence and either share one main meal a day or share the living accommodation (or both). A workless working-age couple household is one that is headed by a married/cohabiting couple and that includes at least one person of working age and in which no-one aged 16 or over is in employment. Couple households without dependent children may include non- dependent children, and/or members of other family units, whose economic status affects the combined economic status of the household (i.e. whether it is classified as workless or not).
	As with any sample survey, estimates from the LFS are subject to a margin of uncertainty.
	
		
			  Workless working-age couple households without dependent children( 1, 2, 3) ; north east region: spring (March-May) 1992 to 2006, not seasonally adjusted 
			   Thousands( 4)  Per cent.( 5) 
			 1992 50 17.0 
			 1993 58 19.7 
			 1994 48 17.5 
			 1995 50 18.1 
			 1996 48 17.6 
			 1997 51 19.1 
			 1998 46 17.7 
			 1999 53 21.3 
			 2000 51 19.8 
			 2001 47 19.3 
			 2002 43 16.8 
			 2003 40 15.9 
			 2004 49 18.6 
			 2005 48 19.5 
			 2006 38 14.3 
			 (1) A workless couple household is a household that is headed by a married/cohabiting couple and that includes at least one person of working age and in which no-one aged 16 or over is in employment. Couple households without dependent children may include non-dependent children, and/or members of other family units, whose economic status affects the combined economic status of the household (i.e. whether it is classified as workless or not). (2 )Working-age includes men aged 16-64 and women aged 16-59. (3 )Dependent children are those aged under 16 and those aged 16-18 who are never-married and in full-time education. (4 )Estimates have not been adjusted for households with unknown economic activity status. (5 )Workless working-age couple households without dependent children as a percentage of all working-age couple households without dependent children. Base for percentages excludes households with unknown economic activity status.  Note:  As with any sample survey, estimates from the Labour Force Survey are subject to a margin or uncertainty.  Source:  Labour Force Survey.

Welfare Tax Credits

David Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what sample size was used for 2004-05 tax credit awards to check the level of tax credit fraud and error; and if he will make a statement.

Jane Kennedy: The sample size used by the HMRC random enquiry to check the level of tax credit error and fraud in 2004-05 is around 4,500.

Welfare Tax Credits: Overpayments

David Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 20 June 2007,  Official Report, column 1890W, on welfare tax credits: overpayments, from how many people who have been declared bankrupt the Tax Credit Office is claiming back tax credit overpayments in the format in which the information is available.

Jane Kennedy: Since May 2004 HM Revenue and Customs is aware of around 550 cases where claimants have notified the Department that they are bankrupt.
	Information is not available for the number of claimants who have notified the Department they are bankrupt but are continuing to pay back an overpayment of tax credits.
	If any claimant disputes HMRC's decision to recover an overpayment from them, then HMRC will suspend the recovery of the overpaid tax credits while the reasons for the dispute are looked into.

JUSTICE

Family Courts

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what representations he has received on the openness of proceedings in the family courts; and if he will take steps to increase access to such proceedings.

Bridget Prentice: The consultation paper "Confidence and confidentiality: Improving transparency and privacy in family courts" was published in July 2006. 245 formal responses were received to the consultation, and over 200 children and young people contributed their views. There was a material difference of opinion in the responses: the media supported the Government's proposal to allow the media into family courts as of right, but children and young people and the groups who support and protect them disagreed. However, children and young people said that they trust the court to make the decision on whether the media should be allowed to attend on a case by case basis. An overview of responses is available at:
	http://www.dca.gov.uk/consult/courttransparenceyll06/response-cp1106.pdf
	The Government therefore have taken a new approach to openness in family courts. Instead of increasing access into such proceedings, they have decided to increase the amount of information coming out of the court. In certain cases, information will be given to the people involved, it will be retained for people who were involved in family proceedings as children to help them understand how decisions were made about them, and it will be made available in an anonymous format for public scrutiny.
	A further public consultation was published on 20 June which outlined this new approach, and also asked questions on changing the rules on disclosure of information and whether the identity of a child should be protected after the end of proceedings. The consultation closes on 1 October 2007. It is available at:
	http://www.justice.gov.uk/publications/cp1007.htm

Family Law: Legal Aid Scheme

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the answer of 25 June 2007,  Official Report, column 346W, on family law, legal aid scheme, how much of the legal aid bill for family law cases since 2005 can be attributed to contributions towards the costs of residential assessments in care proceedings.

Bridget Prentice: Information on the cost to legal aid of residential assessments in care proceedings is not recorded centrally. Further work is being done to isolate these costs through a review of closed files at the moment.

Graffiti: Prosecutions

James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many  (a) prosecutions were made and  (b) fixed penalty notices were issued by (i) each police force and (ii) each local authority for graffiti under the (A) Criminal Damage Act 1971, (B) Clean Neighbourhood and Environment and Neighbourhoods Act 2005 and (C) Anti-Social Behaviour Act 2003 in each of the last 10 years.

David Hanson: Graffiti is not a specific offence under the Criminal Damage Act 1971, the Anti-social Behaviour Act 2003 or the Clean Neighbourhoods and Environment Act 2005.
	Prosecutions for graffiti under these acts would be included with other offences, for example under the Criminal Damage Act 1971 it is likely these offences would be prosecuted under 'other criminal damage'. It is therefore not possible to separate graffiti offences from other acts of criminal damage.
	Data on the number of environmental fixed penalty notices issued for graffiti-related offences are held by the Department for the Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs (DEFRA). The following table provided by DEFRA shows the number of fixed penalty notices issued for offences relating to graffiti by local authorities under the Anti-social Behaviour Act 2003 as amended by the Clean Environment and Neighbourhoods Act 2005, for the years 2004-05 and 2005-06. DEFRA do not hold this information broken down by police force area.
	
		
			  Local authority  Number of fixed penalties issued 
			  2004-05  
			 Blyth Valley BC 1 
			 Gateshead BC 26 
			 LB Barking and Dagenham 6 
			 Newcastle upon Tyne CC 5 
			 Sheffield CC 1 
			 Stockton-on-Tees DC 8 
			 Total 47 
			   
			  2005-06  
			 Newcastle upon Tyne CC 1 
			 Peterborough CC 2 
			 Solihull BC 14 
			 Southampton CC 2 
			 Total 19 
		
	
	Under the penalty notice for disorder (PND) scheme, a fixed penalty of £80 may be issued for criminal damage up to a value of £500. While some PNDs issued for criminal damage may actually be for acts of graffiti, it is not possible to identify how many of these were issued for graffiti. This detailed information is only held by individual police forces.

Home Detention Curfews

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what plans he has to increase the number of offences that fall within the Home Detention Curfew Scheme.

David Hanson: The Home Detention Curfew Scheme is kept under careful review but at present there are no plans to make changes to the eligibility criteria of the scheme.

Home Detention Curfews

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice for which offences prisoners may be included in the Home Detention Curfew Release Scheme.

David Hanson: Eligible prisoners primarily serving sentences of three months or more but less than four years may be considered for early release under the Home Detention Curfew scheme (HOC).
	Certain categories of prisoners are statutorily excluded from HOC, including prisoners subject to the registration requirements of the Sexual Offences Act 2003 (formerly Part 1 of the Sex Offenders Act 1997) and prisoners serving extended sentences for violent offences. In addition, prisoners with any history of sexual offending or serving sentences for certain serious offences are presumed unsuitable for release on HDC unless there are exceptional reasons to grant release. The categories of offences are: homicide, including manslaughter and causing death by dangerous driving; certain explosives offences; child cruelty; possession of a firearm with intent; possession of an offensive weapon and racially aggravated offences.
	Prisoners who are not excluded or presumed unsuitable are eligible to be considered for HDC but are not granted release under the scheme unless they have a suitable release address and pass a careful risk assessment. Full details of the eligibility criteria and assessment process are contained in Prison Service Order 6700 which is available on the HM Prison Service website.

Home Detention Curfews

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the answer of 2 July 2007,  Official Report, columns 910-11W, on home detention curfews, how many of those prisoners were returned to prison under the terms of a home detention curfew for committing  (a) murder,  (b) rape,  (c) burglary,  (d) grievous bodily harm and  (e) actual bodily harm.

David Hanson: From Table 10.7 in the Offender Management Caseload Statistics 2005, there were 402 recalls in 2003, 464 recalls in 2004, and 327 recalls from Home Detention Curfew during 2005 where the offender was charged with a new offence but it is not possible to give a full breakdown by offence because of disproportionate cost. This publication can be found in the House of Commons Library and the table can be accessed at:
	http://www/homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs07/hosb1806section10.xls
	These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems, which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.

Legal Aid Scheme: Wales

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many law practices in Wales received funds through the Crown courts in Wales for  (a) legal aid advice and assistance and  (b) legal aid including representation, in each of the last seven years, broken down by (i) the lowest possible geographical areas for which figures are available, (ii) the type of case and (iii) the nature of the work for which the legal aid was paid; and if he will make a statement.

Maria Eagle: The following tables show the number of solicitor offices that received funding for proceedings in the Crown court by category of offence and geographical location of the solicitors' offices in Wales, for each of the last six years. Figures for 2000-01 are not readily available and could be obtained only at disproportionate costs.
	
		
			  2001-02 
			   Homicide  Serious violence and drugs  Lesser violence and drugs  Sexual offences  Burglary  Offences of dishonesty  Miscellaneous( 1)  Public order offences  Unknown( 2) 
			 Blaenau Gwent — 4 3 3 3 1 1 1 5 
			 Bridgend 3 10 10 7 7 5 6 3 8 
			 Caerphilly 1 13 12 11 8 6 6 2 8 
			 Cardiff 7 33 33 28 20 25 24 10 32 
			 Carmarthenshire — 9 7 8 4 5 6 4 9 
			 Ceredigion 4 5 4 2 3 2 3 2 5 
			 Conwy — 5 5 3 4 3 6 2 6 
			 Denbighshire 3 4 4 4 3 3 3 1 3 
			 Flintshire 1 8 7 8 5 6 8 1 9 
			 Gwynedd — 6 7 3 5 2 3 1 8 
			 Isle of Anglesey 1 4 2 2 4 2 2 — 6 
			 Merthyr Tydfil — 5 2 3 3 3 5 1 5 
			 Monmouthshire 1 4 6 5 3 1 5 1 5 
			 Neath Port Talbot 3 8 6 5 6 1 5 5 7 
			 Newport 5 8 6 7 6 6 7 3 7 
			 Pembrokeshire 3 6 3 5 3 5 2 2 7 
			 Powys 3 10 7 6 9 5 4 6 13 
			 Rhondda, Cynon, Taff 7 17 17 12 9 6 10 9 14 
			 Swansea City 3 7 6 6 5 6 6 6 8 
			 Torfaen 2 5 5 5 3 3 2 1 3 
			 Vale of Glamorgan 2 6 8 6 7 2 7 1 7 
			 Wrexham 1 7 6 5 5 2 6 1 6 
			 (1) Miscellaneous offences include other common law offences and offences prescribed by legislation that do not fall within the other categories. (2) Unknown offences include payments made to solicitor firms where the offence is not recorded. For example, where payments are made on account. 
		
	
	
		
			  2002-03 
			   Homicide  Serious violence and drugs  Lesser violence and drugs  Sexual offences  Burglary  Offences of dishonesty  Miscellaneous  Public order offences  Unknown 
			 Blaenau Gwent 2 4 4 4 2 2 3 2 5 
			 Bridgend 3 8 8 5 4 3 5 4 7 
			 Caerphilly 5 12 13 9 6 10 9 6 9 
			 Cardiff 8 32 29 30 23 29 22 18 31 
			 Carmarthenshire 1 11 10 7 6 3 7 5 9 
			 Ceredigion 2 4 5 3 3 3 5 2 6 
			 Conwy — 3 2 5 3 3 3 — 5 
			 Denbighshire 1 4 4 3 3 3 4 2 3 
			 Flintshire — 7 6 4 5 3 5 1 8 
			 Gwynedd 1 5 2 1 2 2 3 1 5 
			 Isle of Anglesey — 6 2 4 2 2 2 — 4 
			 Merthyr Tydfil — 3 4 2 3 2 2 2 3 
			 Monmouthshire — 4 6 4 1 4 2 — 5 
			 Neath Port Talbot 2 8 8 6 6 3 5 4 5 
			 Newport 3 8 8 8 6 7 6 4 9 
			 Pembrokeshire 3 8 6 4 4 2 3 — 8 
			 Powys 1 11 7 10 7 3 9 — 5 
			 Rhondda, Cynon, Taff 1 15 13 11 8 4 11 4 14 
			 Swansea City 4 8 4 5 5 4 7 5 6 
			 Torfaen — 5 4 4 5 4 3 1 4 
			 Vale of Glamorgan 1 6 7 6 4 5 5 — 5 
			 Wrexham 1 5 6 5 6 4 5 1 5 
		
	
	
		
			  2003-04 
			   Homicide  Serious violence and drugs  Lesser violence and drugs  Sexual offences  Burglary  Offences of dishonesty  Miscellaneous  Public order offences  Unknown 
			 Blaenau Gwent — 4 3 2 2 2 4 1 5 
			 Bridgend 1 9 9 7 5 4 5 5 8 
			 Caerphilly 2 9 9 7 5 5 8 3 8 
			 Cardiff 9 31 28 30 19 25 26 12 28 
			 Carmarthenshire 5 11 6 6 5 8 9 3 9 
			 Ceredigion 1 4 5 3 3 4 3 2 5 
			 Conwy — 4 4 3 2 2 2 1 4 
			 Denbighshire — 2 3 3 1 3 3 2 3 
			 Flintshire 1 7 7 2 6 5 5 4 10 
			 Gwynedd — 5 5 2 2 2 5 — 5 
			 Isle of Anglesey 1 5 5 3 5 3 2 — 5 
			 Merthyr Tydfil — 3 3 2 3 3 3 — 3 
			 Monmouthshire 1 4 3 3 3 3 1 1 4 
			 Neath Port Talbot 1 7 8 3 4 1 2 2 7 
			 Newport 3 8 9 8 7 5 5 4 8 
			 Pembrokeshire 1 7 7 8 4 3 6 3 8 
			 Powys 2 10 7 7 4 2 8 4 10 
			 Rhondda, Cynon, Taff 1 14 16 13 10 6 11 4 15 
			 Swansea City 3 7 6 5 4 4 5 4 5 
			 Torfaen 3 5 4 5 4 5 2 1 5 
			 Vale of Glamorgan — 5 5 4 5 3 3 3 6 
			 Wrexham 1 5 5 5 5 3 5 3 3 
		
	
	
		
			  2004-05 
			   Homicide  Serious violence and drugs  Lesser violence and drugs  Sexual offences  Burglary  Offences of dishonesty  Miscellaneous  Public order offences  Unknown 
			 Blaenau Gwent — 4 4 3 3 2 3 1 4 
			 Bridgend — 6 7 4 3 3 6 3 7 
			 Caerphilly 3 8 8 6 5 5 4 4 7 
			 Cardiff 9 34 36 33 26 28 30 13 34 
			 Carmarthenshire — 8 9 9 7 6 9 1 10 
			 Ceredigion 3 4 5 4 2 2 3 2 5 
			 Conwy — 4 5 4 3 3 3 2 3 
			 Denbighshire 3 4 3 2 4 2 2 2 3 
			 Flintshire 1 7 5 4 6 3 5 3 8 
			 Gwynedd 1 6 2 6 4 1 4 1 6 
			 Isle of Anglesey 1 3 3 2 2 1 3 1 5 
			 Merthyr Tydfil — 3 2 2 3 2 3 2 2 
			 Monmouthshire 1 4 4 5 2 1 3 1 5 
			 Neath Port Talbot 5 8 7 4 3 3 5 1 6 
			 Newport 6 9 7 8 8 8 9 6 10 
			 Pembrokeshire 3 6 5 6 3 3 5 1 6 
			 Powys 1 12 9 10 4 6 5 1 12 
			 Rhondda, Cynon, Taff — 17 16 14 9 9 14 3 17 
			 Swansea City 3 6 6 6 5 6 5 5 9 
			 Torfaen 1 5 4 5 4 5 4 — 5 
			 Vale of Glamorgan — 6 6 4 3 6 5 1 6 
			 Wrexham 3 5 5 6 4 4 5 3 5 
		
	
	
		
			  2005-06 
			   Homicide  Serious violence and drugs  Lesser violence and drugs  Sexual offences  Burglary  Offences of dishonesty  Miscellaneous  Public order offences  Unknown 
			 Blaenau Gwent 1 4 4 2 3 2 1 — 4 
			 Bridgend 1 8 8 5 6 4 6 1 8 
			 Caerphilly 2 6 5 9 4 5 6 3 5 
			 Cardiff 13 36 33 30 23 25 26 11 31 
			 Carmarthenshire 2 10 9 10 5 7 8 4 10 
			 Ceredigion 2 4 3 3 1 1 5 1 5 
			 Conwy 3 5 4 2 5 2 3 2 5 
			 Denbighshire 1 4 3 3 3 3 2 — 3 
			 Flintshire 1 6 7 5 6 7 7 1 8 
			 Gwynedd 1 7 3 2 2 1 2 — 9 
			 Isle of Anglesey 2 4 5 3 3 3 4 — 4 
			 Merthyr Tydfil — 2 2 1 2 — 2 — 2 
			 Monmouthshire — 4 4 2 2 3 4 2 3 
			 Neath Port Talbot 1 8 6 6 4 6 7 4 6 
			 Newport 4 7 6 7 7 6 7 3 8 
			 Pembrokeshire 3 5 6 5 2 3 2 1 6 
			 Powys 1 5 4 7 5 2 5 2 9 
			 Rhondda, Cynon, Taff 4 17 15 12 10 8 14 4 18 
			 Swansea City 4 7 6 6 5 6 6 6 9 
			 Torfaen 2 4 4 3 3 3 3 2 4 
			 Vale of Glamorgan 1 6 4 4 4 3 5 2 5 
			 Wrexham 2 6 5 5 5 6 6 3 6 
		
	
	
		
			  2006-07 
			   Homicide  Serious violence and drugs  Lesser violence and drugs  Sexual offences  Burglary  Offences of dishonesty  Miscellaneous  Public order offences  Unknown 
			 Blaenau Gwent — 3 3 4 1 1 4 1 5 
			 Bridgend — 7 6 3 5 1 4 2 7 
			 Caerphilly 6 10 6 6 5 3 9 2 9 
			 Cardiff 9 35 32 28 24 24 30 13 37 
			 Carmarthenshire 2 8 8 5 7 6 7 5 10 
			 Ceredigion 2 3 4 2 1 3 4 — 6 
			 Conwy 1 4 3 3 4 4 3 — 4 
			 Denbighshire 2 3 3 3 2 3 3 — 3 
			 Flintshire 1 6 6 4 5 5 6 2 7 
			 Gwynedd 1 5 4 2 3 2 4 — 7 
			 Isle of Anglesey 1 5 4 4 1 3 4 — 4 
			 Merthyr Tydfil 2 1 2 1 2 1 2 1 2 
			 Monmouthshire 1 2 4 3 2 1 3 2 4 
			 Neath Port Talbot 2 6 7 5 2 5 6 2 6 
			 Newport 6 7 7 7 7 7 5 5 9 
			 Pembrokeshire 1 4 3 4 3 2 4 2 4 
			 Powys 2 8 3 4 1 2 3 — 7 
			 Rhondda, Cynon, Taff 1 15 15 10 10 11 14 3 16 
			 Swansea City 3 6 6 5 5 5 6 5 7 
			 Torfaen 3 5 5 4 2 4 4 1 4 
			 Vale of Glamorgan — 6 4 5 4 4 6 3 6 
			 Wrexham 3 5 6 6 5 2 5 — 6 
		
	
	In addition to receiving payments directly from the Crown court, the Legal Services Commission also pays solicitors' offices directly under individual cases contracts for proceedings in the Crown court in cases expected to last more than 40 days at court.
	The following tables show the number of solicitors' offices that had received these payments by category of law and geographical area within Wales. These solicitors offices may have also received payments directly from the Crown courts for other cases.
	
		
			  2001-02 
			   Homicide 
			 Swansea City 1 
		
	
	
		
			  2002-03 
			   Homicide 
			 Swansea City 1 
		
	
	
		
			  2003-04 
			   Homicide  Serious violence and drugs  Offences of dishonesty 
			 Cardiff — — 3 
			 Newport — 3 — 
			 Swansea City 1 — — 
		
	
	
		
			  2004-05 
			   Serious violence and drugs  Offences of dishonesty  Miscellaneous 
			 Bridgend 1 — — 
			 Caerphilly 1 — — 
			 Cardiff 1 3 1 
			 Carmarthenshire 1 — — 
			 Merthyr Tydfil 1 — 1 
			 Neath Port Talbot 4 — — 
			 Newport 3 — 1 
			 Powys 1 — — 
			 Swansea City 1 — — 
		
	
	
		
			  2005-06 
			   Serious violence and drugs  Offences of dishonesty  Miscellaneous 
			 Bridgend 3 — — 
			 Caerphilly 4 — — 
			 Cardiff 10 2 1 
			 Carmarthenshire 1 — — 
			 Merthyr Tydfil 1 — 1 
			 Neath Port Talbot 4 — — 
			 Newport 4 — 1 
			 Powys 1 — — 
			 Swansea City 1 — — 
		
	
	
		
			  2006-07 
			   Serious violence and drugs  Offences of dishonesty 
			 Bridgend 1 — 
			 Caerphilly 2 — 
			 Cardiff 10 3 
			 Neath Port Talbot 2 1 
			 Newport 4 — 
			 Wrexham 1 —

Legal Aid Scheme: Wales

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  how many law practices in Wales received funds through the Legal Services Commission for  (a) legal aid advice and assistance and  (b) legal aid including representation, in each of the last seven years, broken down by (i) type of case and (ii) the lowest-level geographical areas for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  how many applications for legal aid in Wales were  (a) accepted and  (b) rejected in each of the last seven years, broken down by (i) the lowest level areas for which figures are available, (ii) the type of case and (iii) the nature of the work which the legal aid was applied for; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  how much legal aid funding was provided by the Legal Services Commission in each of the smallest geographical areas of Wales for which figures are available in each of the last seven years, broken down by  (a) the type of case and  (b) the nature of the work for which the legal aid was paid; and if he will make a statement;
	(4)  how many legal cases in Wales received legal aid in each of the last seven years, broken down by  (a) the lowest possible geographical areas for which figures are available,  (b) the type of case and  (c) the type of work for which the legal aid was paid; and if he will make a statement.

Bridget Prentice: There are 22 bid zones within Wales, and seven categories of work. The categories include Legal Help, CLS Direct, civil representation, Criminal Lower, Criminal Higher, Criminal Case Contracts and CDS Direct.
	Each type of work will have its own further category of law (an average of 10 categories). Providing this information over seven years would produce an answer which would include more than 10,000 items of data. The information requested is therefore not readily available and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Magistrates Courts

Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  what the average time was between the first hearing after charge in the magistrates' court and the date when magistrates committed a case for trial at the Crown court in the last 12 months;
	(2)  how many and what proportion of cases listed for a committal hearing at magistrates' courts were not effective and adjourned to another day in the last 12 months;
	(3)  in how many adjourned committal hearings adjournment was sought by the  (a) prosecution and  (b) defence in the last 12 months;
	(4)  in how many cases adjournment was sought in committal hearings because papers for the committal were prosecution papers not ready to be presented to the court in the last 12 months;
	(5)  what the average length of adjournment was in cases where hearings listed for committal were adjourned for another committal hearing on another day in the last 12 months;
	(6)  what the average length of adjournment between a defendant's first appearance in court after charge and the first listing for a committal hearing was in the last 12 months;
	(7)  what records are kept of the reasons for adjournment of committal hearings;
	(8)  how many cases in magistrates' courts in England and Wales were listed for committal more than  (a) once and  (b) twice in the last 12 months;
	(9)  how many committal hearings were listed in magistrates' courts in England and Wales in the last 12 months;
	(10)  whether he has made an estimate of the cost to  (a) defendants,  (b) their employers and  (c) others involved besides the Court and the prosecution of non-effective committal hearings.

Maria Eagle: The following table presents key statistics on the progression of committal proceedings in the magistrates courts.
	No centrally-collated information is available on the reasons for, or the costs arising from, adjournments in committal proceedings. However, in the year ending March 2007, there were 3,057 magistrates courts trials that were ineffective because the prosecution was not ready (1.7 per cent. of all recorded trials in the period), and a further 4,218 ineffective because the defence was not ready (2.3 per cent. of recorded trials). Equivalent figures are not available for committal proceedings.
	No information is available on the total number of committal hearings listed in the magistrates courts in England and Wales. However, the table shows that:
	there were around 98,000 cases in the magistrates courts in 2005 which were disposed of through committal or sending to the Crown Court
	there were an average of 2.6 listings per case in 2006 (covering the whole duration of these cases in the magistrates courts)
	On this basis, it can be estimated that cases committed or sent to the Crown Court account for an approximate total of 255,000 listings per year in the magistrates courts.
	
		
			  Key statistics on indictable and triable either way magistrates court cases in England and Wales that were committed for sentence or trial in the Crown Court, 2006 
			   Estimates from the magistrates courts time intervals survey 2006 
			   Total number of cases per year (2005)  Average number of days from first listing to completion (days)  95% confidence interval (+/- days)  Percentage of cases completed at first listing (i.e. with no adjournments)  Average number of adjournments (number)  Average length of adjournments (days)  Number of defendants in TIS survey sample 
			 Committals to the Crown Court for trial 80,000 40 1 35 1.6 25 4,466 
			 Committals to the Crown Court for sentence 18,000 29 3 37 1.6 18 880 
			 All committals 98,000 39 1 37 1.6 24 5,346 
			 All indictable/triable either way cases 423,000 52 1 30 2.1 25 27,730 
			  Notes:  1. Data on the total number of cases is taken from the Home Office publication "Criminal Statistics 2005". This is the most recent full year for which published data are available. All other date are taken from the Time Intervals Survey (TIS) in the magistrates courts. The TIS is a sample survey that produces estimates of the average time taken between stages of proceedings for defendants in completed criminal cases in magistrates' courts. More Information on TIS is available from the Ministry of Justice website.  2. All 'committals' statistics shown above include cases which were sent to the Crown Court for trial without committal proceedings, under section 51 of the Crime and Disorder Ad 1998. The above figures relate to both adult and youth defendants, and include both summonsed and charged cases. This TIS data relates to indictable and triable either way cases only, and therefore excludes the small number of summary cases that are committed to the Crown Court However, these cases will be counted in the total number of cases per year.  3. "First listing" refers to the first listed hearing of the case in the magistrates courts Figures for adjournments relate to the whole duration of the case in the magistrates courts, and will therefore count adjournments to other hearings besides the committal hearing. Figures are not available on the number of adjournments by hearing type. The number of adjournments in any given case is defined as being one less than the number of times the case was listed. A listing refers to any occasion when the case was considered by the court. The average number of adjournments is the average across all cases, including those which were completed at first listing and where no adjournments occurred. The average length of adjournments is calculated by dividing the duration of a case (from first listing to completion) by the number of adjournments that occurred.

Prisoners: Facilities

Edward Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  pursuant to the answer of 2 July 2007,  Official Report, columns 912-3W, on prisoners: facilities, how many prisoners categorised as vulnerable have been held in police and court cells since January 2006;
	(2)  how many prisoners have been held in  (a) court cells and  (b) police cells for two or more successive nights over the last 12 months;
	(3)  through which bodies food is provided to prisoners housed in police and court cells;
	(4)  how many prisoners have spent their first night in custody in a police or court cell since January 2006; and  (a) where,  (b) by whom and  (c) at what point in custody such prisoners' (i) drug treatment, (ii) detoxification and (iii) wider health needs were assessed.

David Hanson: All efforts are made to avoid housing prisoners vulnerable to self harm or with drugs or health needs in police cells under Operation Safeguard and in court cells. The information requested is not held centrally. Those identified as at risk of self-harm or self-inflicted death will have that identified on their PER (Prisoner Escort Record) form.
	The number of prisoners who have spent two or more successive nights in police cells under Operation Safeguard is not centrally held. Since January 2007, 35 prisoners have been held exceptionally in court cells for two successive nights.
	The provision of food to prisoners held in police or court cells is the responsibility of the individual police force or custody contractor.
	The number of prisoners who spent their first night in custody under Operation Safeguard or in court cells is not held centrally.

Prisoners: Learning Disability

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  what support there is from within the Probation Service for people on probation with learning disabilities;
	(2)  what support there is from within the Prison Service for prisoners with learning disabilities.

David Hanson: People with learning disabilities have the same rights as other citizens. To help ensure they receive the extra support to which they entitled under the under the Disability Discrimination Act 2005, the Care Services Improvement Partnership (CSIP), part of the Department of Health, has produced the document 'Positive Practice, Positive Outcomes; A handbook for Professionals in the Criminal Justice System working with offenders with learning disabilities' (CSIP, 2007).
	This sets out the support that must be provided by the police, the courts, in prisons and on probation.
	A copy has been placed in the Libraries of the House.

Prisons: Crimes of Violence

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many  (a) prisoner on prisoner and  (b) prisoner on officer assaults were recorded in each month in each year since 2002, broken down by prison establishment; and if he will make a statement.

David Hanson: The information requested is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. However, I refer the hon. Lady to the table of annual figures that I have placed in the Libraries of the House.

Young Offenders: Restraints Techniques

Sally Keeble: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how often the  (a) figure of four hold and  (b) double basket hold was used in each secure training centre in each of the last seven years.

David Hanson: To provide the information requested would require secure training centres to review every individual incident report to identify which techniques were used in the course of incidents, therefore the information is not collected centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
	The double embrace technique used in the seated position was withdrawn by the Youth Justice Board in June 2004, and subsequently discontinued on the advice of the expert panel.

Young Offenders: Restraints Techniques

Sally Keeble: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what response was made by  (a) the Youth Justice Board and  (b) the Home Office to the representations from NCH on the risks of restraint in secure training centres.

David Hanson: A report was commissioned in 2003 by the Youth Justice Board from the National Children's Bureau. The report raised no specific risks related to restraints in the secure training centres, but raised a number issues affecting the whole of the juvenile secure estate.
	In response to the report, the Youth Justice Board developed a code of practice for managing challenging behaviour in all parts of the secure estate. It has also instituted a behaviour management programme, which deals with a number of the issues raised in the report.

Young Offenders: Restraints Techniques

Sally Keeble: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice on how many occasions pain distraction techniques to the  (a) nose,  (b) thumb and  (c) rib were used in each secure training centre in each of the last five years.

David Hanson: The available information, provided by the Youth Justice Board, is given in the following table.
	
		
			  Use of distraction techniques at secure training centres 
			   2003  2004  2005  2006  2007( 1) 
			  Rainsbrook  
			 Nose n/a 90 48 11 0 
			 Rib n/a 8 2 0 0 
			 Thumb n/a 34 38 9 2 
			   
			  Medway  
			 Nose n/a 140 145 41 0 
			 Rib n/a 35 1 0 2 
			 Thumb n/a 33 65 27 3 
			   
			  Hassockfield( 2)  
			 Nose n/a n/a n/a 1 0 
			 Rib n/a n/a n/a 0 0 
			 Thumb n/a n/a n/a 4 1 
			   
			  Oakhill( 3)  
			 Nose n/a n/a n/a 67 2 
			 Rib n/a n/a n/a 0 0 
			 Thumb n/a n/a n/a 39 4 
			 (1) 2007 data covers period January to May only.  (2) Hassockfield was only able to provide data from January 2006 in the time available.  (3) Oakhill was only able to provide data from January 2006 in the time available.   Source: YJB data.

Young Offenders: Restraints Techniques

Sally Keeble: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice on how many occasions the Youth Justice Board has placed in the Library statistics on the use of restraint in secure training centres other than in response to a parliamentary question in the last five years.

David Hanson: Following a request from the Joint Committee on Human Rights, we agreed to place quarterly statistics in the Library. So far, data for the final three quarters of 2006 have been placed in the Library.

Young Offenders: Restraints Techniques

Sally Keeble: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice on how many occasions the Youth Justice Board has released information about the use of restraint other than in response to a parliamentary question in the last five years.

David Hanson: The Youth Justice Board has replied to numerous requests for information about use of restraint and it supplies quarterly statistics which are placed in the Library of the House. As the information requested covers an extended period, it could not be collated without disproportionate cost.

Young Offenders: Restraints Techniques

Sally Keeble: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what assessment was made of the level of risk to trainees in incidents of restraint in secure training centres examined by an external expert reporting to Northamptonshire police following the death of Gareth Myatt.

David Hanson: The expert witness concerned raised a number of issues related to the system of restraint used in secure training centres. After considering the expert's report the Youth Justice Board suspended use of the double embrace technique in June 2004.
	Modifications to the approved holds were subsequently assessed by the panel of experts advising the Youth Justice Board. These modifications were adopted in 2005 and the double embrace technique was permanently withdrawn.

Young Offenders: Restraints Techniques

Sally Keeble: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice on what occasions the expert panel advising the Youth Justice Board on restraint met between 1996 and 2007.

David Hanson: An expert panel advising the Home Office on restraint techniques met on 27 January 1998. Expert panels advising the Youth Justice Board met on 25 November 2004, 10 March 2005 and 21 December2006.

Voting Behaviour

Nicholas Clegg: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what estimate he has made of voter turnout among people with English as a second language.

Michael Wills: The Government have not made any estimation of election turnout rates among those eligible voters whose first language is not English. The Electoral Commission has the role of evaluating election turnout, and published its report 'Election 2005: Turnout. How many, who and why?' in October 2005, That report indicated, based on research polls, that the turnout rate of BME groups was 47 per cent. (lower than the overall turnout of 61 per cent.). However,, this figure does not include any consideration of English as a second language, and the Commission has not included any research into this issue within its report. Such research would undoubtedly prove difficult to undertake, since it would not be clear from any direct recorded source whether an eligible voter uses another language, other than English, as his first language.
	The Government, however, have taken steps to ensure that all eligible voters, including those with English as a second language, should have access to the electoral process. Sections 36 and 37 of the Electoral Administration Act 2006 enable local electoral officers to provide certain documents and guidance to voters in alternative languages.
	Some authorities have taken advantage of these new powers to provide guidance in a number of languages. However, ballot papers are exempted from the documents that can be translated, as this would breach secrecy rules.

Witnesses: Children

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what arrangements there are in relation to the conduct of court cases in EU countries involving minors from other member states intervention in  (a) countries and  (b) circumstances where it is considered the relevant court is not suitably competent; and if he will make a statement.

Bridget Prentice: Ministers have no powers to intervene in court proceedings in the UK or in the courts of other countries.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what duty of care the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission owes to parents with care in respect of maintenance entitlement; and if he will make a statement.

James Plaskitt: The responsibility for paying child maintenance lies with the non-resident parent in each case, not with the administrative body (whether CSA now or the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission in the future). It follows that CMEC will not have a common law duty of care to its clients in respect of child maintenance.

Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  what estimate he has made of the proportion of non-resident parents each year who would be eligible for an adjustment to their child maintenance under the new Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission to reflect their incomes being  (a) higher and  (b) lower than in the previous tax years if the threshold for re-assessment was set at (i) 10, (ii) 15, (iii) 20 and (iv) 25 per cent.;
	(2)  what estimate he has made of the proportion of non-resident parents who will have their maintenance amended using the previous year's HM Revenue and Customs income data under the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission.

James Plaskitt: With the increased focus on voluntary arrangements and the ending of the requirement that parents with care on benefit be treated as applying for child maintenance, not all of the current Child Support Agency caseload will choose to use the statutory maintenance service. Since we do not know the precise composition of the resulting caseload, it is not possible to estimate how many non- resident parents will be eligible for an adjustment.

Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission: Fees and Charges

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  what his policy is on charging parents with care an upfront fee to use the new Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what reasons he has made it his policy that charges applied for the use of the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission should only fall on the non-resident parent; what level of charges is planned; what the purpose of the charges is; and if he will make a statement.

James Plaskitt: The final arrangements for charging have not yet been decided. The Secretary of State will be responsible for laying regulations on the specific arrangements for any charging scheme following advice from the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission.
	I refer the hon. Member to paragraph 5.48 of the White Paper: A new system of child maintenance [Cm 6979] and to paragraph 5.43 of the White Paper Consultation
	Response [Cm 7061].

Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission: Fees and Charges

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what plans he has to exempt non-resident parents using the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission from paying fees if they have  (a) standing orders or direct debit arrangements and  (b) good levels of compliance; and if he will make a statement.

James Plaskitt: The final arrangements for charging have not yet been decided. The Secretary of State will be responsible for laying regulations on the specific arrangements for any charging scheme following advice from the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission.
	I refer the hon. Member to paragraphs 5.48 and 5.49 of the White Paper: 'A new system of child maintenance' [Cm 6979].

Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission: Fees and Charges

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what plans he has to give the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission powers to pursue maintenance from non-resident parents who have moved abroad; and if he will make a statement.

James Plaskitt: As is currently the case with the Child Support Agency, the Commission will not usually have jurisdiction to make or pursue a maintenance liability where the non-resident parent moves abroad.
	The Ministry of Justice does however operate a system for administering international child and spousal maintenance cases; this is known as the reciprocal enforcement of maintenance orders (REMO).
	Where a parent with care applies to their local magistrates' court or family proceedings court, details of the maintenance liability can be referred to the foreign jurisdiction—where the non-resident parent now resides—whom will be able to apply their domestic collection and enforcement mechanisms in order to recover the amount due. They will then refer this money back to the UK REMO administrators.
	The UK has reciprocal maintenance agreements with over 100 states and territories.

Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission: Fees and Charges

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what analytical mechanism underlies the choice of the shares of gross income which will be applied to calculate the child maintenance amounts under the new Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission; and if he will make a statement.

James Plaskitt: A tax benefit model was used to convert a range of gross incomes to equivalent net incomes based on expected tax and national insurance structures for 2009-10. Different percentages were applied to these levels of gross income. The rates were chosen so that the resultant liabilities were broadly the same as liabilities under the post 2003 scheme at the equivalent net income levels.

Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission: Fees and Charges

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what budget will be allocated to the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission to assist and enable parents who have broken up to establish private maintenance arrangements; and if he will make a statement.

James Plaskitt: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to his question on 25 June 2007,  Official Report, column 444W.

Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission: Powers

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions for what reasons his Department plans to give the Child Maintenance Enforcement Commission the power to seek curfews; and if he will make a statement.

James Plaskitt: Introducing this new compliance measure provides the Commission with a wider range of powers while strengthening the message that the non-payment of maintenance is a serious matter.
	Where other, more direct methods of enforcement have been tried but maintenance remains outstanding, we need adequate measures in place to encourage compliance from those who wilfully refuse or culpably neglect to pay child maintenance. And we believe that, in the right cases, applying to the court for a curfew order against the non-resident parent will indeed encourage that compliance.
	We consider curfew orders to be an effective alternative to committal; it will create a strong incentive for the non-resident parent to comply but will not impede his or her ability to do so by causing him or her to lose his or her job.

Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission: Powers

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the number of children in families receiving child maintenance  (a) before and  (b) after the introduction of the new Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission; and if he will make a statement.

James Plaskitt: The overall impact of the measures in the Child Maintenance and Other Payments Bill 2007 are set out in the Regulatory Impact Assessment (RIA) which was published alongside the Bill. The number of parents with care estimated to receive maintenance, currently and post implementation of the measures in the Bill is set out in table 6 of the RIA. This equates to an increase from around 1 million children benefiting from maintenance currently to around 2 million children in steady state.

Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission: Powers

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether he plans to place a legal duty on non-resident parents to report a change of income which is above the threshold for revised maintenance assessment as part of the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission operations; and if he will make a statement.

James Plaskitt: We have no plans to place such a legal duty on non-resident parents.

Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission: Powers

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether it will be necessary, under the new Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission, to carry out an annual income variation review for the majority of non-resident parents; and if he will make a statement.

James Plaskitt: The intention is that each case will be subject to an annual review in order to keep maintenance calculations up to date with the parent's circumstances, including the income of the non-resident parent.

Child Support Agency: Standards

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what plans he has periodically to review the standard percentage rates of income for child maintenance under the New Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission; and if he will make a statement.

James Plaskitt: We will review the standard percentage rates during the course of each Parliament.

Child Support Agency: Standards

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will provide his assessment of the Child Support Agency's performance against its performance targets in the 12 months to 31 May 2007.

James Plaskitt: Secretary of State performance targets have been set for April 2007 to March 2008 and published in the Child Support Agency business plan. Progress against these targets for the quarter ending June 2007 will be available in the July publication of the Child Support Agency (CSA) Quarterly Summary Statistics, a National Statistics publication. A separate set of targets and levels were set for the period April 2006 to March 2007 and published in the Child Support Agency business plan for that year. Performance against the 2006-7 targets is available in the March 2007 publication of the Quarterly Summary Statistics.
	Copies of Quarterly Summary Statistics can be found at
	www.dwp.gov.uk/asd/csa.asp
	Copies of the Child Support Agency business plans for 2006-07 and 2007-08 can be found at
	www.csa.gov.uk/
	Copies should also be available in the House of Commons Library.

Child Maintenance

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the merits of collecting child maintenance directly from earnings as an addition to the pay as you earn system of taxation; and if he will make a statement.

James Plaskitt: We are not considering moving the core functions of Child Maintenance to HMRC. We asked Sir David Henshaw to assess the merits of collecting child maintenance directly from earnings as part of the pay as you earn system. He concluded that this is not a sensible approach.
	I refer the hon. Gentleman to paragraphs 123-6 of "Recovering child support: routes to responsibility, Sir David Henshaw's report to the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions", and to paragraphs 45-6 of "A fresh start: child support redesign—the Government's response to Sir David Henshaw".

Child Maintenance

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions for what reasons he plans to allow enabling consent orders for child maintenance made by a court to be overridden by a Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission calculation after 12 months; and if he will make a statement.

James Plaskitt: We have no plan to change the current rules whereby, consent orders for child maintenance, of more than 12 months duration, may be set aside by the Child Support Agency if a parent applies for a maintenance calculation. The 12 month rule works well, encouraging courts to record fair and consistent levels of child maintenance and ensuring that if circumstances change or agreements break down, parents have a quick route into the Child Support Agency and maintenance continues to flow to children.

Child Maintenance

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimates he has made of the expected reduction in caseload under the new Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission; and what proportion of the reduced case load is expected to be accounted for through  (a) maintenance arrangements made privately,  (b) maintenance arrangements through the courts and  (c) no maintenance arrangements; and if he will make a statement.

James Plaskitt: The exact composition of the future case load is subject to significant behavioural uncertainties and is entirely dependent on the choices that parents make. The following table shows the expected composition of the future case load once all of the policy changes have fully bedded in:
	
		
			   Percentage 
			 Statutory maintenance service 40 
			 Voluntary arrangements 30 
			 Courts 5 
			 No arrangement 25 
		
	
	The Department for Work and Pensions is currently conducting further research to assess the choices that parents are likely to make through the Relationship Separation Survey which is due to be published in spring 2008. This survey will be used to develop and test these estimates further.

Child Maintenance

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what threshold has been set for shared care to affect a child maintenance assessment under the new Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission; and if he will make a statement.

James Plaskitt: The shared care rules will remain largely as they are now. A non-resident parent will be entitled to a reduction in statutory maintenance if they care for a qualifying child for on average at least one night per week.

Child Maintenance

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what his policy is on shared care arrangements in relation to child maintenance payable under the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission; whether a shared care maintenance reduction can be allowed in cases where no long-term shared care agreement is available; and if he will make a statement.

James Plaskitt: Maintenance will be reduced to take account of shared care arrangements where a non-resident parent has overnight care of the children on average for at least one night per week.
	Provisions in the Child Maintenance and Other Payments Bill will allow for regulations to provide that a reduction in maintenance could be based either on past evidence of shared care, or on an agreement for future shared care arrangements. Other provisions will allow for regulations to provide that in cases where both parents have agreed that care of the children will be shared, but they have not yet reached an agreement on the pattern or frequency, the Commission will be able to proceed and reduce maintenance for a certain period on the basis of an assumption about shared care.

Child Maintenance

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what penalties will be applied by the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission when false information is supplied by non-resident parents in relation to child maintenance calculations; and if he will make a statement.

James Plaskitt: There are two criminal offences in relation to the supply of information in child maintenance cases. These are knowingly providing false information and failing to provide information where a request is made. A person guilty of either offence is liable on summary conviction to a fine of up to £1,000.
	It is envisaged that these offences will be applied by the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission in the same way that they are currently applied by the Child Support Agency.

Child Maintenance

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions for what reasons the Government are delaying the increased child maintenance disregard to 2010-11; and if he will make a statement.

James Plaskitt: The Government expects to extend the £10 disregard to parents with care on benefit covered by the old scheme rules by the end of 2008. This should benefit 40,000 parents with care and 55,000 children. It is essential that children can benefit from maintenance that parents provide. The White Paper makes clear that, from 2010-11, the Government will significantly increase the amount of maintenance that all parents with care on benefit can keep before it affects the level of benefit they receive. This timescale enables further analysis to be undertaken on the potential impact of different levels of disregard on child poverty, compliance rates and work incentives.

Child Maintenance

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what proportion of lone parents  (a) in employment  (b) out of employment are receiving child maintenance in the UK.

James Plaskitt: Analysis of data from the 2005-06 Family Resources Survey shows that around 40 per cent. of eligible lone parents in employment and around 15 per cent. of eligible lone parents who are not in employment report that they receive child maintenance.

Child Maintenance

Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  what steps are being taken to ensure that a greater proportion of non-compliant non-resident parents face enforcement action;
	(2)  what steps are being taken to increase the proportion of females receiving payments from non-resident parents.

James Plaskitt: holding answer 29 June 2007
	The administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for the Chief Executive. He will write to the hon. Member with the information requested.
	 Letter from Stephen Geraghty, dated 9 July 2007:
	In reply to your recent Parliamentary Questions about the Child Support Agency the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Chief Executive.
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps are being taken to ensure a greater proportion of non-compliant, non-resident parents face enforcement action. [PQ146719] and
	You also asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps are being taken to increase the proportion of females receiving payments from non-resident parents. [PQ146720]
	The Agency is now in the second year of a three year Operational Improvement Plan. The first year of the Operational Improvement Plan focused on the organisational and operational restructuring of the Agency, and the training of our people to increase our capacity and capability.
	Although we made no commitments in the first year of the Operational Improvement Plan, some early improvements are evident, and more money is already getting to more children. In the year to March 2007, the number of parents with care receiving maintenance saw an increase of 9% from 429,000 to 466,000, benefiting 635,000 children.
	The second year of the Operational Improvement Plan, focuses on resolving the remaining computer system difficulties, and improving rates of compliance and the collection of child maintenance. Improvements to the computer system will help to further boost productivity, aid debt and legal enforcement activities and contribute to an increase in levels of case compliance. Building on the increase of our people, including quadrupling those employed in enforcement work, there will be stronger focus on the collection of debt. We will continue to work with debt collection agencies.
	The Agency is also working to counter a culture of non-compliance among some non-resident parents. In March this year we launched the first phase of a sustained maintenance enforcement campaign, which highlighted the significantly increased enforcement action undertaken through the courts in the past year. The Agency has increased the use of liability orders, County Court Judgments and bailiff action, taking the total number of court actions to 34,000 in the year to January 2007 an increase of 36% from 25,000 in the previous year.
	I hope you find this answer helpful.

Employment

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of how many jobseeker allowance recipients have refused jobs on grounds of  (a) conscientious and  (b) religious objections.

James Plaskitt: I refer the hon. Member to the written answer I gave him on 25 June 2007,  Official Report, column 478W.

Gender

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people have been issued with gender recognition certificates in the last 12 months.

Michael Wills: I have been asked to reply.
	In the period from 4 July 2006 to 3 July 2007, the Gender Recognition Panel issued 542 full gender recognition certificates and 26 interim gender recognition certificates. Interim certificates are issued to people who are in an existing marriage or civil partnership. They allow the holder to apply to the courts for his or her existing marriage or civil partnership to be annulled or dissolved and for a full gender recognition certificate to be issued signifying full legal recognition of the acquired gender.
	Of the 26 interim certificate-holders, seven people have proceeded to obtain full certificates and five are currently going through the annulment or dissolution process. Some full certificates will also have been issued by the courts in this period following the issue of interim certificates by the panel prior to 4 July 2006. The exact number of these cases is not immediately available and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Housing Benefit

Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what information his Department has received from the Rent Service on the impact on housing benefit rates of the switch from using the median to the mean when calculating the relevant rates.

James Plaskitt: The Rent Service has provided the Department with estimated median local housing allowance rates for a selection of local authorities. These were based on their existing market evidence database and were intended to be illustrative only and not an indication of what median local housing allowance rates will be for the 2008 roll-out.
	The Rent Service have since set up dedicated teams of rent officers to lead a programme of analysis and collection of rental data to ensure that the local housing allowance rates remain robust and are representative of the private rented sector market.
	The Rent Service has committed to providing indicative median local housing allowance rates to all local authorities in October 2007, providing provisional median local housing allowance rates in January 2008 and providing the live median local housing allowance rates to all local authorities in March 2008.
	The national local housing allowance rate in the private rented sector will be set at the median of market rents, while the pathfinder model of the local housing allowance set the rate at the midpoint of market rents.

Housing Benefit

Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the likely effect of the introduction of the local housing allowance on differences between housing benefit received and rent paid by claimants subject to a single room rent/shared room restriction.

James Plaskitt: Any shortfall between the housing benefit received and contractual rent at the time of national roll-out of the local housing allowance will depend on the trends in local rent levels, the accommodation choices made by tenants and the tenant's income. It is currently hard to predict each of these aspects up to the point of national roll-out of the local housing allowance. We will be monitoring shortfalls between the shared room rate and contractual rent as part of the two year review of the national roll-out of the local housing allowance.
	The shared room rate under the national roll-out of the local housing allowance covers a broader definition of what can be counted as shared accommodation than the single room rent restriction. Additionally, as the shared room rate will be set at the median of local market rents, this ensures that 50 per cent. of the shared properties on the Rent Officers' database will be affordable at the shared room rate. Since the rates are published, tenants will also be aware of their maximum housing benefit entitlement in advance and be able to make an informed decision about what accommodation they can afford.

Housing Benefit

Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether rent officers are required to take into account actual rent levels when setting  (a) broad market rental area boundaries and  (b) local housing allowance rates.

James Plaskitt: The definition for broad rental market area (BRMA) is laid down in statute and it does not require rent officers to have any regard to rent levels. It relates primarily to access to facilities and services for health, education, recreation, personal banking and shopping. The BRMA must contain a mix of property types held on a variety of tenancies.
	When setting local housing allowance (LHA) rates rent officers must have regard to rents in the broad market rental area. Under the current pathfinder scheme the LHA is calculated by gathering evidence of rents for properties of the appropriate size and excluding those that are exceptionally high or low to determine a high rent and low rent. The high and low rents are then added together and divided by two to produce the LHA.
	Under the Welfare Reform Act 2007, we are introducing a new way of calculating the LHA based on a median rent that does not require the rent officer to exclude any rents from the evidence.

Immigration: Social Security Benefits

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the average amount of benefits taken up by an immigrant from  (a) a European Union country and  (b) another country in the last 12 months.

James Plaskitt: The information is not available.

Learning Disability: Social Security Benefits

Helen Southworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the potential effect of loss of benefits by people with a learning disability wishing to take up work on their ability to do so; and if he will introduce measures to ensure flexibility in the benefits system for such people.

James Plaskitt: We are aware that people with severe or specific learning difficulties are one of the groups least likely to move off state benefits and into sustained work. We recognise that part-time work can be important to well-being, to developing self worth, and a stepping-stone to sustained work and a life independent of the benefit system. That is why we already have the permitted work rules in the current incapacity benefits system which enable a person on incapacity benefit to work up to 16 hours and earn up to £86 per week, for an initial period of up to 52 weeks, to allow engagement with the labour market. For people on income support the earnings disregard is currently £20 per week.
	We are bringing these rules forward into the new employment and support allowance (ESA) However, within the new ESA we will be aligning the existing permitted work earnings limits. This means that anyone claiming ESA will be able to earn up to £86 per week for up to 52 weeks without it affecting their benefit entitlement.
	Linking rules are designed to give customers security when they leave benefit for work or training. If the job or training does not work out, they will receive the same cash level if they return to benefit within a specified period. We know that the security that linking rules provide is important to many people and we will continue to have linking rules in ESA.
	We believe these rules are a valuable element of the current benefit system and, combined with the rules we have on unlimited voluntary work while on incapacity benefits, provide customers with a wide range of opportunities to try out work themselves. We will continue to look for other ways of helping people take up opportunities to work and increase their options without fear of their benefits being immediately affected.

Pensioners: Home Energy Efficiency Scheme

Helen Southworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the number of pensioners in Warrington who received energy efficiency grants in the last 12 months for which figures are available.

Phil Woolas: I have been asked to reply.
	During the 2006-07 financial year, the Government's warm front scheme provided grants to 645 pensioner households in Warrington. Of these, 327 households were in the Warrington, North area and 318 in Warrington, South.

Recruitment: Internet

Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what proportion of online job searches made via Jobcentre Plus facilities in March resulted in placements.

Anne McGuire: The information requested is not available.

Social Security

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the cost was of income support back to work bonus payments in each year since their creation.

James Plaskitt: The information is not available in the format requested. The available information about back to work bonus payments is in the following table.
	
		
			  Income support customers paid back to work bonuses: Great Britain 
			   Total claims paid  Total amount paid (£) 
			 1999 14,560 5,838,442 
			 2000 16,650 7,017,631 
			 2001 15,340 6,757,296 
			 2002 14,650 6,550,321 
			 2003(1) 11,840 5,489,155 
			 2004(2) 12,280 6,086,704 
			 2005(2) 930 488,274 
			 (1) 2003 figures exclude May 2003. These figures are not available due to system errors.  (2 )There are no new claims to the back to work bonus scheme after October 2004 and only transitional claims up to January 2005.  Note s : 1. Figures are taken from ISCS 100 per cent. monthly scans and are given as annual figures (i.e. the sum from January to December each year) where applicable.  2. Caseloads have been rounded to the nearest 10.  3. Total amounts are rounded to the nearest pound.  4. Figures are not available prior to January 1999.   Source: ISCS 100 per cent. monthly scans.

PRIME MINISTER

Olympic Games: Departmental Responsibilities

Hugh Robertson: To ask the Prime Minister what discussions he had with Olympic stakeholders before making the decision to move the Olympics Minister to the Cabinet Office.

Gordon Brown: My officials and I have meetings with a wide range of organisations and individuals on a range of subjects.

Public Appointments

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Prime Minister if he will make it his policy to invite Parliament to have confirmation hearings for major public appointments.

Gordon Brown: I refer my hon. Friend to my statement on 3 July 2007,  Official Report, columns 815-20.

DUCHY OF LANCASTER

Civil Servants: Low Pay

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many civil servants  (a) are receiving the minimum wage and  (b) earn less than £6 per hour.

Gillian Merron: Departments have delegated authority to determine pay arrangements for their own staff below the senior civil service that meet their own business needs. Under the delegated arrangements, information on salaries of individual members of staff and the hours that they work, which is necessary to calculate hourly rates of pay, is not held centrally and could be collected only at disproportionate cost.

Departments: Pensions

David Simpson: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many and what percentage of staff in the Prime Minister's Office are making additional voluntary contributions to their pensions; and what steps the Prime Minister's Office has taken in the last 12 months to encourage more people to make such contributions.

Gillian Merron: The Prime Minister's Office is an integral part of the Cabinet Office and therefore the answer provided is for the whole of the Cabinet Office including the Prime Minister's Office.
	144 members of staff in Cabinet Office (9.3 per cent. of the total number of staff employed by the Department) currently make additional voluntary pension contributions through deductions from their pay.
	Pension scheme members receive an annual benefit statement showing the pension built up to date, and also a projection of pension on retirement if the member continues in service to scheme pension age. The benefit statement provides details of the civil service pensions website where staff can obtain further information, including on options for making additional voluntary contributions to boost their pension.

Departments: Sick Leave

David Simpson: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many staff in his Office have taken  (a) five or more,  (b) four,  (c) three and  (d) two periods of sick leave of less than five days in the last 12 months.

Gillian Merron: The number of Cabinet Office staff with periods of sick absence lasting less than five days for the calendar year 2006 are as follows:
	
		
			   Number 
			  (a) five or more absences 67 
			  (b) four absences 42 
			  (c) three absences 76 
			  (d) two absences 157

Disadvantaged: Blackpool

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many families in Blackpool, South have been classified as at risk as part of her Department's Families at Risk review.

Gillian Merron: The Families at Risk Review found that in 2005, around 2 per cent. of families in Britain experienced five or more disadvantages. For example, those with parents lacking any qualifications. This was based on analysis using the Families and Children Study (FACS), which is representative of families with children in Britain. At the local council level, the number of families with five or more disadvantages in the FACS is very small, and it is therefore not possible to accurately estimate how many families are at risk in Blackpool, South or indeed in any other specific areas.

Disadvantaged: Blackpool

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many projects in Blackpool have received funding from her Department since the launch of the Social Exclusion Plan.

Gillian Merron: None. The Social Exclusion Task Force does not deliver services itself and therefore does not directly fund projects.

Olympic Games: Greater London

Hugh Robertson: To ask the Minister for the Olympics which board positions were filled by Government Ministers on  (a) the Olympic Board,  (b) the London Organising Committee for the Olympic Games,  (c) the Olympic Delivery Authority and  (d) MISC 25 as at 26 June; and which Ministers now fill such positions.

Tessa Jowell: As at 26 June, I co-chaired the Olympic Board and sat on the MISC 25 Committee as Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport. My right hon. Friend, the Member for Sheffield, Central also attended the Olympic Board and MISC 25 Committee as part of his duties as Minister for Sport.
	I continue to co-chair the Olympic Board as Minister for the Olympics. The new Minister for Sport will also attend the Olympic Board.
	The MISC 25 Committee is yet to be formally reconstituted following the appointment of the Prime Minister.
	There is no ministerial representation on the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) Board.
	As at 26 June my right hon. Friend, the Member for Sheffield, Central, sat on the Board of the London Organising Committee for the 2012 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games (LOCOG). I will nominate a new Government representative to sit on the LOCOG Board in due course.

Olympic Games: Greater London

Hugh Robertson: To ask the Minister for the Olympics which civil servants are responsible for the Government's London 2012 Olympics budget; how many civil servants work on the project; in which  (a) Departments and  (b) directorates they are based; and what mechanisms exist to co-ordinate the work with officials in the Cabinet Office and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.

Tessa Jowell: The civil servants responsible for the London 2012 budget remain in the Government Olympic Executive (GOE), which is based in the Department for Culture, Media and Sport but reports to me. The Accounting Officer remains the Permanent Secretary at DCMS. Officials in other parts of DCMS and in other Departments across Whitehall continue to work on specific policy aspects of the Olympic programme—all of which are co-ordinated by GOE. There are currently 51.5 full-time equivalent staff working in GOE and three full-time press officers working on the Olympics. I also have a small private office in the Cabinet Office.

Policy Review

Mark Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster pursuant to the answer of 20 June 2007,  Official Report, column 1831W, on policy review, for what reason the Economic Dynamism group did not produce a final report.

Edward Miliband: The work of the Economic Dynamism strand of the Policy Review, is informing a wide range of Government business including the 2007 Comprehensive Spending Review, which will be published in the autumn.

Policy Review

Mark Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster pursuant to the answers of  (a) 14 May 2007,  Official Report, column 543W and  (b) 20 June 2007,  Official Report, column 1831W, on the policy review, if he will make an estimate of the cost of the policy review, separately identifying costs of (A) producing presentations, (B) designing, printing and distributing reports, (C) website costs, (D) consultancy fees and (E) staff time.

Edward Miliband: External costs of the full Policy Review process, covering six major policy areas, were £93,000 for producing reports, £10,000 for a web site and e-mail alerts, and £90,000 for the deliberative exercise, a total of £193,000. On the cost of presentations and staff time I refer the hon. Member to the answers given by the then Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster on 14 May 2007,  Official Report, column 543W.

BUSINESS, ENTERPRISE AND REGULATORY REFORM

Energy: EU Law

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform 
	(1)  for what reasons the Government have recommended the use of real time displays in its proposals for meeting the Energy Services Directive;
	(2)  what consideration the Government have given to introducing smart meters with displays in May 2008 prior to the implementation of the Energy Services Directive.

Malcolm Wicks: holding answer 2 July 2007
	In the Energy White Paper, the Government made clear their view that display devices could give gas and electricity customers information to help them make early reductions in their energy use. At present, information available to the Government suggests that smart meters are not yet cost-effective. We expect this to change, and further activity in respect of smart metering is being undertaken by interested parties to improve understanding of the costs and benefits. In setting out their White Paper proposals on display devices, the Government indicated that they would consult on the implementation of these proposals in the context of its ambitions to see a roll-out of smart meters within 10 years.

NORTHERN IRELAND

Departments: Pensions

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many and what percentage of staff in his Department are making additional voluntary contributions to their pensions; and what steps he has taken in the last 12 months to encourage more people to make such contributions.

Paul Goggins: 53 members of staff (2.6 per cent.) are making additional voluntary contributions (AVCs). Pension packs for new entrants, which include information on AVCs, are given to staff as part of the Department's induction process.
	In addition, existing members have been informed that information about the Principal Civil Service Pension Scheme, including information on AVCs, is available on the following websites:
	www.civilservicepensions-ni.gov.uk
	for Northern Ireland civil service members of staff and
	www.civilservicepensions.co.uk
	for Home civil service members of staff.

Departments: Public Transport

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what estimate his Department has made of the number of its staff using public transport to commute.

Shaun Woodward: My Department carried out a survey of staff travel habits in 2005. Approximately 1,500 staff in Belfast were surveyed, and 11 per cent. said they use public transport to commute to work.
	My Department intends to produce a work place travel plan by the end of 2007.

Northern Ireland Public Appointments Commissioner: Public Appointments

John Grogan: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what directorships have been declared by the Commissioner for Public Appointments in Northern Ireland.

Shaun Woodward: This matter is now the responsibility of the Northern Ireland Administration.

SOLICITOR-GENERAL

Departments: Ministerial Responsibility

Frank Field: To ask the Solicitor-General which Minister has overall responsibility for the Government's policy to reduce fraud in the public sector.

Vera Baird: All Ministers have a responsibility to reduce the incidence of fraud in Departments and agencies for which they have responsibility.
	In addition the Government have accepted the main recommendations of the Fraud Review, which include the development and delivery of a national fraud strategy, through the establishment of a National Fraud Strategic Authority and measurement unit. It is envisaged that the national fraud strategy will cover both the public and private sectors.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Afghanistan: Opium

Nick Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps his Department is taking to assist farmers in Afghanistan who were once involved in cultivation of opium.

Douglas Alexander: DFID is implementing a range of programmes to assist farmers who were once involved with cultivation of poppy. Our core approach is to improve access to credit, while improving the range and viability of alternative legal livelihoods.
	Alternatives to poppy come not only in the form of different crops. They can often be non-farm activities such as clothes-making and shopkeeping, which is why DFID is supporting the Government of Afghanistan's Microfinance Investment Support Facility of Afghanistan (MISFA). This programme has provided over £133 million worth of small loans to 364,786 Afghan families to help them invest in their own licit businesses. MISFA operates in 23 provinces, including Helmand. DFID has provided £15 million to MISFA since March 2004. Nearly 75 per cent. of those receiving loans are women.
	Overall, DFID has provided £77 million from 2005-07 to support the development of legal rural livelihoods, much of which has been channelled through the Government of Afghanistan's own National Priority Programmes.
	DFID has given £18 million to the Government of Afghanistan's National Rural Access Programme (NRAP), which has built or repaired over 9,000 km of roads so far—essential for rural farmers to access markets. So far the programme has generated over 13 million days of labour for Afghans. NRAP operates in all 34 provinces.
	DFID has also provided £42.6 million in total for the National Solidarity Programme (NSP) and is providing £10.6 million to roll out NSP in Helmand province (2006-09). NSP is helping elected Community Development Councils (CDCs), representing over 17,000 communities across Afghanistan, identify development priorities in their areas and then receive grants to undertake the work. NSP has funded over 28,000 projects in agriculture, education, health, irrigation, power supply, transport, and water supply. NSP currently operates in all 34 provinces.
	Outside the Government of Afghanistan, DFID is funding two projects implemented by the Food and Agriculture Organisation, which are supporting villages in Bamyan, Balkh and Herat to make a legal living. The activities they support include poultry and fish rearing, silk production, and carpet weaving. DFID has also provided £3 million to support research into a range of legal livelihoods, including high value crops such as mint and saffron.

Burma: Overseas Aid

David Burrowes: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how UK funds previously directed through the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in Burma are being allocated since the closure of ICRC offices in Burma.

Shahid Malik: In 2006 DFID allocated £500,000 to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in Burma, approximately two-thirds of which was used to provide humanitarian and protection assistance to internally displaced people (IDPs) in Eastern Burma. All of these funds have been spent and accounted for. The ICRC has not requested further funding. In 2007 DFID is providing support to internally displaced people in Burma through a grant of £400,000 to support community-based groups (mostly Christian and Buddhist networks) working inside Burma who are able to provide humanitarian assistance in the short term to IDPs who would otherwise receive no help. This complements the assistance to IDPs cross-border from Thailand which we also support.

Departments: Pensions

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many and what percentage of staff in his Department are making additional voluntary contributions to their pensions; and what steps he has taken in the last 12 months to encourage more people to make such contributions.

Shahid Malik: 225 members of staff in the Department for International Development (12 per cent. of the total number of staff employed by the Department) currently make additional voluntary pension contributions through deductions from their pay.
	DFID plans to issue annual benefit statements later in the year, the statements show the pension built up to date, and also a projection of pension on retirement if the member continues in service to scheme pension age. The benefit statement provides details of the Civil Service Pensions website where staff can obtain further information, including options for making additional voluntary contributions to boost their pension.
	In addition, DFID has a page dedicated to Civil Service Pensions on our intranet site, this contains information on the pension schemes and the aim is to increase awareness of pensions among our staff. As well as useful pension information, the page contains links to the Civil Service Pensions website and various information booklets.

Indian Ocean Tsunami: Reconstruction

Andrew Love: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will make a statement on progress in reconstruction in Sri Lanka following the 2004 tsunami.

Shahid Malik: In January 2007 almost all children in affected areas apart from the North East are attending school. Attendance in the North and East is now severely affected by the security situation. Almost all families previously in camps now have access to sturdier transitional shelter. Of the families whose homes were affected, 72 per cent. are now back in their own houses following reconstruction and repair work. Over 75 per cent. of people who lost their main source of income have regained some source of income.
	Permanent homes are under construction. Prior to the tsunami the public sector normally built only 5,000-6,000 new homes. Only with all public and private sector housing workers performing at full capacity would a 50,000 annual target be reached. According to Sri Lankan Government figures about 98 per cent. of the permanent housing requirement in the south has been fulfilled, although in the east of Sri Lanka there are still significant shortfalls.
	The resurgence in the conflict has meant severe access restrictions for delivery partners in the North and East, which was the most affected region. Moving materials and skilled labour has become particularly problematic. Lack of humanitarian space has made it difficult to ensure that assistance is delivered equitably and in a timely manner to affected communities. UK officials will continue to work closely with the Sri Lankan authorities, NGOs and UN. We see progress towards peace and reconciliation as essential to enabling and sustaining post tsunami recovery and broader development in Sri Lanka. We hope that all parties will renew efforts to make progress in this direction.
	DFID has focussed its policy during the reconstruction phase on improving the capacity of partner governments to mobilise resources and undertake reconstruction efforts themselves.
	In Sri Lanka we have provided £2 million to improve the management of recovery and reconstruction, with a focus on building the capacity of the north and eastern councils in Sri Lanka.

Nepal

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much aid his Department is providing to help the peace process in Nepal.

Shahid Malik: DFID is providing specific support to the Nepal peace process through its bilateral development programme and through the Global Conflict Prevention Pool (GCPP). In 2006-07 a total of £5.35 million was disbursed in direct support of the peace process. This included financial support to the Peace Trust Fund, the UN mission in Nepal, UNICEF, OCHA and support to ICRC.
	We plan to provide further support in 2007-08 in line with Government priorities and during the run up to Constituent Assembly elections currently scheduled for November 2007.
	The central objective of DFID strategy in Nepal is to work towards a sustainable and inclusive peace. In 2006-07 total DFID bilateral expenditure in Nepal was £42.8 million. This support is making a direct contribution to supporting peace in Nepal.

LEADER OF THE HOUSE

Departments: Common Purpose

Philip Davies: To ask the Leader of the House how much her Office paid to Common Purpose in each of the last five years; for what purpose; and what the outcome of the expenditure was.

Harriet Harman: None.

Departments: Pay

David Simpson: To ask the Leader of the House how many non-pensionable bonuses were awarded to members of staff in her Office in the last three years; and at what total cost.

Harriet Harman: Following the recent machinery of Government changes which saw the Office of the Leader of the House of Commons transfer from the Privy Council Office to the Cabinet Office, we are currently unable to provide a substantive answer to this question.

Departments: Performance Appraisal

David Simpson: To ask the Leader of the House how many staff in her Office did not achieve an acceptable mark in their annual report in 2006-07.

Harriet Harman: None. All the staff in my private office are high achievers.

Departments: Public Transport

David Simpson: To ask the Leader of the House what estimate she has made of the number of her office staff using public transport to commute.

Harriet Harman: All of my staff regularly use public transport to commute.

Departments: Sick Leave

David Simpson: To ask the Leader of the House how many staff in her Office have taken  (a) five or more,  (b) four,  (c) three and  (d) two periods of sick leave of less than five days in the last 12 months.

Harriet Harman: The number of Leader of the House of Commons staff with periods of sick absence lasting less than five days for the calendar year 2006 are as follows:
	
		
			   Number 
			  (a) five or more absences 0 
			  (b) four absences 0 
			  (c) three absences 2 
			  (d) two absences 0

Parliamentary Questions: Olympic Games

Hugh Robertson: To ask the Leader of the House what arrangements have been made for hon. Members to question the Olympics Minister.

Dai Davies: To ask the Leader of the House what plans she has to establish an oral question time for the Minister for the Olympics and London to answer questions on her responsibilities.

Harriet Harman: On 4 July 2007 I confirmed the new questions rota until the summer recess. This includes 10 minutes to the Olympics Minister. The rota will be reviewed during the summer recess.

COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Council Housing: Construction

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate she has made of the number of council houses which will be built in 2007-08.

Yvette Cooper: holding answer 5 July 2007
	I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Islington, North (Jeremy Corbyn) on 6 June 2007,  Official Report, column 535W.

Council Housing: Construction

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what plans her Department has for the large scale resumption of building council houses; and if she will make a statement.

Yvette Cooper: holding answer 5 July 2007
	Local councils have a vital role in the delivery of more social and affordable housing, working in partnership with developers and housing associations, using to the full their planning and other powers, and the use of their own land, to deliver the homes needed locally.
	We are encouraging innovative ideas from local authorities to increase the supply and improve the quality of social housing, including through more direct development.
	We expect housing associations to continue to deliver the majority of new social homes, as they can bring in significant additional independent borrowing. But we also see the potential for local authorities to make a bigger contribution towards meeting the housing needs of current and future generations.

Council Housing: Essex

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many council homes were built in Essex in each year since 1997.

Yvette Cooper: There have been no reported local authority dwellings built in Essex local authorities since 1997.
	Between 1 April 1997 and 31 March 2006, the following units of affordable housing (social rent and intermediate (e.g. low cost home ownership)) were built or acquired on behalf of Essex local authorities and the unitary authorities of Southend-on-Sea and Thurrock.
	
		
			   Essex county council  Southend-on-Sea  Thurrock 
			 1997-98 243 50 16 
			 1998-99 130 36 6 
			 1999-2000 43 11 2 
			 2000-01 77 6 4 
			 2001-02 60 — 3 
			 2002-03 145 16 6 
			 2003-04 175 12 19 
			 2004-05 176 44 29 
			 2005-06 354 92 102 
		
	
	Essex county council local authorities comprise of Basildon, Braintree, Brentwood, Castle Point, Chelmsford, Colchester, Epping Forest, Harlow, Maldon, Rochford, Tendring and Uttlesford.

Council Housing: Essex

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many people are waiting for council homes in  (a) Essex and  (b) the London borough of Havering.

Yvette Cooper: Information is available on numbers of households rather than people. The number of households on the waiting list for social housing in  (a) Essex and  (b) the London borough of Havering as at 1 April each year is published on the Communities and Local Government website in table 600. The link for this table is given as follows:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/embedded_object.asp?id=1163853
	Local authorities in England report the numbers of households on their housing waiting list as at 1 April in their annual Housing Strategy Statistical Appendix returns. Not everyone on the waiting list is necessarily in urgent housing need. The waiting list includes those who consider social housing as their preferred or one of a number of housing options, and those who decide to get onto the waiting list ladder before they need or want to move house—particularly where the priority system is heavily based on waiting time.

Council Housing: Essex

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  what the Government's target is for numbers of new council homes to be built in  (a) Essex and  (b) Romford;
	(2)  how many new council homes are planned to be built in the London borough of Havering in the next period for which figures are available.

Yvette Cooper: There are no Government targets for the provision of new council home in Essex or Romford.
	The East of England Plan, the Regional Spatial Strategy, is expected to be published in autumn 2007 and states that a minimum of 98,620 new homes will be built in Essex between April 2006 and March 2021—with the expectation that some 35 per cent. are affordable. The London Plan, the Regional Spatial Strategy for London, sets a 10 year target for the London borough of Havering of 5,350 net additional homes between 2007-08 and 2016-17. There is a strategic target in the London Plan that 50 per cent. of all additional housing London-wide should be affordable.

Council Housing: Sales

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the average level of discount on council homes was in  (a) Essex and  (b) England when bought under the right-to-buy scheme in (i) 2004, (ii) 2005 and (iii) 2006.

Yvette Cooper: The average market values and levels of discount awarded on council homes sold through the right to buy scheme, in Essex, England and the unitary authorities of Southend-on-Sea and Thurrock are tabulated as follows, Essex county council local authorities comprise of Basildon, Braintree, Brentwood, Castle Point, Chelmsford, Colchester, Epping Forest, Harlow, Maldon, Rochford, Tendring and Uttlesford.
	
		
			  Financial data on homes sold through the right to buy scheme: Estimated average per dwelling 
			Discount 
			  Financial year  Market value (£)  £  Percentage 
			  2003-04
			 Essex CC 98,986 33,197 34 
			 Southend-on-Sea UA 95,204 32,531 34 
			 Thurrock UA 97,994 33,031 34 
			 England 66,840 24,635 37 
			 
			  2004-05
			 Essex CC 105,029 33,545 32 
			 Southend-on-Sea UA 92,613 33,452 36 
			 Thurrock UA 111,000 33,469 30 
			 England 77,176 25,652 33 
			 
			  2005-06
			 Essex CC 117,776 34,115 29 
			 Southend-on-Sea UA 94,500 32,500 34 
			 Thurrock UA 116,108 33,405 29 
			 England 83,474 25,549 31 
			  Source: Statistical returns from local authorities (P1B)

Emergency Services: Floods

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what duty fire and rescue authorities are under to respond to calls for assistance from the general public to incidents of flooding.

Parmjit Dhanda: Fire and rescue authorities have a general power to respond to emergencies under section 11 of the Fire and Rescue Services Act 2004: this encompasses responding to calls for assistance to flooding incidents.
	Fire and rescue authorities have duties to conduct risk assessments of their area as part of their integrated risk management plan process, and under the Civil Contingencies Act 2004. If they conclude there is a flooding risk in their area they may procure resources to respond to that risk. In practice, fire and rescue authorities do respond to flooding incidents, as demonstrated so clearly in the June floods. Great use was made by the fire and rescue service of the high volume pumps, provided under Communities and Local Government's New Dimension programme.

Fire Services: ICT

Simon Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will assess the relevant experience held by the contractors designing the new computer systems for the proposed regional fire and rescue control centre in the East of England in the design and delivery of projects funded by the public purse.

Parmjit Dhanda: holding answer 2 July 2007
	The contractor is EADS Defence and Security Systems Ltd.
	Their relevant experience, as evaluated as part of the procurement process, is detailed in the following table.
	
		
			  Country  Summary of works  Key features 
			 Estonia - Ministry of Interior Design and infrastructure deployment for border surveillance. Various remote radar system installations connected to regional and national security centres. 
			 France — French Gendarmerie Design and implementation of national wireless voice and data communications system for Gendarmerie and special forces along with an associated logistical support programme. Encrypted radio communications, secure identification systems, national control rooms. 
			 France - Ministry of Defence Design and implementation of unmanned aerial Vehicle (UAV) "tracker" systems for border and hot-spot surveillance and command and control tactical systems for mobile patrol deployment. Silent running short-range UAV automatic video surveillance system, CIS, Integrated voice and data communications. 
			 France - Ministry of Interior Design and implementation of multi-agency integrated dispatching and communication system for fire services and police forces. Digital radio communications. control rooms, automatic vehicle location through GPS, GIS. 
			 Germany - Ministry of Defence Design and implementation of an operational battalion Command and Control system. Advanced CIS, messaging, Automatic vehicle location, digital radio communications 
			 Germany - Ministry of interior of Different Landers Design and implementation of major integration programmes between the police and fire brigades control centres in Frankfurt and Munich Emergency call taking, dispatching, resource management, Computer aided dispatch, CIS (geographical Information system), communications (voice and data), video monitoring centre 
			 Mexico — Federal Government and States Design and implementation of a national forces integrated communications network, uniting the 30 states into a single unified network. Encrypted radio communications, secure identification systems, national control rooms 
			 Mexico - Secretaria de la Defensa Nacional(SEDENA) Design and implementation of a sophisticated network of sensor monitoring systems integrated with the national SEDENA Command and Control Centre for reduction of illegal activities, such as smuggling. CIS, fixed radars (high and low altitude), airborne sensors, data mining, communications, resource management 
			 Portugal - Ministry of Interior Design and implementation of coastal vessel monitoring system Various remote radar and other sensor systems connected to resilient national control centre. 
			 Spain - Police and Guardia Civil Design and implementation of a coordinated local/national communication and deployment system for more effective operational management. National infrastructure backbone, digital radio communications, control rooms, automatic vehicle location systems 
			 UK - Ministry of Defence Design and build secure communications satellite system Skynet satellites, ground control stations, upgraded communication systems

Fire Services: ICT

Mark Todd: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will make a statement on the delivery of software and information systems for the regional fire control centres.

Parmjit Dhanda: The contract for delivery of software and information systems was signed on 30 March 2007 with EADS Defence and Security Systems Ltd. The contractor is mobilising resources and working closely with the Department to ensure successful delivery of this important project. The contract has a series of delivery milestones; so far, the contractor has met all that are due. The first Regional Control Centre is planned to go live in October 2009 and the final Fire and Rescue Authority cuts over in September 2011.

Fire Services: Manpower

Mark Todd: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many staff in full-time equivalent terms will be required for each Regional Fire Control Centre.

Parmjit Dhanda: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given to my hon. Friend the Member for Stroud (Mr. Drew) on 20 June 2007,  Official Report, columns 1858-59W.

Fire Services: Manpower

Mark Todd: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how she intends to resource those tasks currently undertaken by staff in existing fire control centres which will not be handled by new regional centres.

Parmjit Dhanda: Some tasks which are currently performed in existing control rooms will lie outside the scope of the new regional control centres. It is for Fire and Rescue Authorities to decide whether these 'out of scope' tasks should continue to be performed under the new control arrangements, and how best to deliver them. The business case for the FiReControl project shows that the costs of delivering a control service under FiReControl should be substantially lower than at present. The business case takes into account the costs of continuing to deliver these 'out of scope' tasks.

Fire Services: Procurement

Andrew Stunell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what total costs have been incurred by Firebuy since its launch as the procurement arm of the fire and rescue service in November 2005 in  (a) salaries for its full-time staff,  (b) expenses for its non-executive chair and board of directors and  (c) on work on the Integrated Clothing Project.

Parmjit Dhanda: The costs incurred by Firebuy Ltd. since it was established in April 2006 until the end of June 2007 are  (a) £1,099,877 for salaries for the full-time staff,  (b) £11,092 on expenses for the non-executive chair and board of directors and  (c) £1,047,124 for the Integrated Clothing Project, including salary costs associated with the project.

Fire Services: Procurement

Andrew Stunell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment she has made of the preferred bidder proposals for Firebuy's first 15-year Integrated Clothing Project contract; what steps she is taking to ensure continuous best value for the fire and rescue service from that contract; and if she will make a statement.

Parmjit Dhanda: Detailed assessments have been undertaken by Firebuy Ltd. in the decision to award the contract for Integrated Clothing Project to a single service provider for 15 years. These included economic viability, service delivery, independent garment trials and best value.
	Best value encompasses the principles of the Most Economically Advantageous Tender (MEAT) and considers the whole life costs as well as the purchasing price. The kit offers improvements in firefighter safety as well as making a positive contribution towards reducing barriers to recruitment and achieving efficiencies as part of the overall Government agenda.

Fire Services: Trade Unions

Simon Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what representations she has received on the proposed regional fire and rescue control centre in the East of England; and what discussions she has had with the Fire Brigades Union on the matter.

Parmjit Dhanda: holding answer 2 July 2007
	Since the publication of the White Paper "Our Fire and Rescue Service" in June 2003 the Department has had representations about the proposed regional fire and rescue control centres from a wide range of stakeholders, including all English Fire and Rescue Authorities, Regional Management Boards, the Local Government Association, the Chief Fire Officers' Association, the Institute of Public Finance, the Practitioners' Forum, the Business and Community Safety Forum, the Fire Brigades Union, Network of Women in the Fire and Rescue Service, the Retained Firefighters Union, Fire Officers Association, GMB and Unison. Responses to the various consultation exercises run by the Department can be found on the web at:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/index.asp?id=1125649
	A number of very positive and useful meetings have taken place, at both ministerial and official level, with the Fire Brigades Union and other staff representation bodies to discuss the implications for staff of the Fire Control Project.

Flood Control

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment she has made of the effects of building houses on run off and flash flooding areas; and if she will make a statement.

Yvette Cooper: New planning policy (PPS25 Development and flood risk) published in December 2006 directs development away from areas at risk of flooding from all sources. Local planning authorities should undertake a Strategic Flood Risk Assessment in line with PPS25 policy to identify the risks from all forms of flooding (including surface water run-off). Where there are particular surface water drainage problems they should use the Strategic Flood Risk Assessment to inform the development of surface water management plans, as part of their Local Development Frameworks, to manage the risks through development opportunities and avoid inappropriate development in those areas. Some of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pilot studies on integrated urban drainage are examining the consequences of new development for surface water run-off and the options available for mitigating these effects.

Flood Control

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will consider making it a condition of section 106 planning agreements to improve drainage in order to reduce the effect of flash flooding in areas that have been affected; and if she will make a statement.

Yvette Cooper: New planning policy (PPS25 Development and flood risk) published in December 2006 promotes the use of sustainable drainage systems and development of surface water management plans. Planning obligations (or 's106 planning agreements') are mechanisms to allow developers and local planning authorities to make acceptable development which would otherwise be unacceptable in planning terms. Where the need to improve drainage to reduce the risk of flooding is a material consideration, a planning obligation may be an appropriate mechanism to secure the agreement of the developer to undertake the necessary drainage improvements. The construction and maintenance costs of surface water drainage systems serving a development should be fully funded by the developer, and a planning obligation may be appropriate to secure this.

Floods: Chemicals

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  for what reasons Annex D of Planning Policy Statement 25: Development and Flood Risk included a list of substances classed as hazards under the Chemical Hazards Information and Packaging Regulations; and what related consultation was carried out;
	(2)  what estimate she has made of the number and percentage of storage facilities for materials classed as hazardous under the Chemical Hazards Information and Packaging Regulations located in Flood Risk Zone 3 areas.

John Healey: Annex D of PPS25 does not list substances classed as hazards under the Chemical Hazards Information and Packaging Regulations. However it classifies installations requiring hazardous substances consent as 'highly vulnerable', potentially limiting their location in areas of high flood risk. This was set out to help planners match the vulnerability of development to the degree of flood risk to avoid inappropriate development in flood risk areas.
	There was wide consultation in preparing PPS25, and the Department continues to work closely with stakeholders to implement the policy to avoid inappropriate development in areas at risk of flooding and to direct development away from areas at highest risk, while recognising that where the need for development clearly outweighs the flood risk, it is safe.
	No central estimate of the number and percentage of storage facilities for such materials in Flood Zone 3 areas is available.

Home Information Packs

Graham Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether clients of property location agents will be required to put a home information pack in place; and if she will make a statement.

Yvette Cooper: The Housing Act 2004 makes it clear that the responsibility to obtain a home information pack is on the person responsible for marketing the property. Section 150 of the Housing Act 2005 states that a person, or business located in England or Wales, acts as an estate agent if he does anything in pursuance of marketing instructions from the seller to carry out activities designed to introduce a potential buyer to the seller or to sell the property by auction.

Housing Associations

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what Government affordable housing schemes administered by housing associations are in operation.

Yvette Cooper: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given today (UIN 147377).

Housing: Chelmsford

Simon Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many new dwellings were built in the Chelmsford local authority area in each year between 2000 and 2007.

Yvette Cooper: holding answer 2 July 2007
	The numbers of new dwellings built in the Chelmsford local authority area in each financial year since 2000-01 are in the following table. Figures shown are as reported by local authorities.
	
		
			  House building completions: Chelmsford 
			   Dwellings 
			 2000-01 542 
			 2001-02 519 
			 2002-03 838 
			 2003-04 863 
			 2004-05 764 
			 2005-06 440 
			 2006-07 533 
			  Sources: P2m returns from local authorities, returns from National Housebuilding Council (NHBC)

Housing Construction: Eco-towns

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate she has made of the contribution of the five planned eco-towns towards the Government's target of building 200,000 net additional homes per year by 2013.

Yvette Cooper: Eco-towns will be key to delivering the Government's target of building additional homes. Further decisions about the programme, including potential funding support, more detailed criteria, and potential locations will be taken following detailed assessment work, and the outcome of the Comprehensive Spending Review. We hope to announce these later this year.

Housing Construction: Eco-towns

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what proportion of the 10,000 to 20,000 new homes in each planned eco-town will be social homes.

Yvette Cooper: Eco-towns, as announced in the Government statement of 7 March 2007, should be sustainable communities, supporting a mix of housing types and tenure. Subject to the outcome of the comprehensive spending review decisions about the programme, including potential locations and the proportion of social housing will be taken following further assessment work. We hope to make an announcement about these later in the year.

Housing: Cornwall

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what her estimate is of the number of dwellings sold in Cornwall, broken down into those sold  (a) as second homes,  (b) for buy-to-let,  (c) to Cornish inhabitants and  (d) to people moving into Cornwall in the last 12 months.

Yvette Cooper: holding answer 29 June 2007
	The information requested is not held centrally.

Housing: Electricity and Water

Roger Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many households do not have access to  (a) mains power and  (b) piped water supply.

Yvette Cooper: The English House Condition Survey monitors the provision of basic amenities and services to homes. However the numbers of homes lacking mains power and piped water supply is too small to provide precise estimates from a sample survey. A residual number of mainly isolated rural homes may lack mains power or piped water supply, as do some vacant properties that are waiting or undergoing renovation at the time of the survey.

Housing: Energy

David Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what proportion of homes in England do not have any cavity walls.

Yvette Cooper: holding answer 28 June 2007
	 31 per cent. according to the 2005 English House Condition Survey Annual Report (Table 4.1, page 28) published on 6 June 2007.

Housing: Low Incomes

Simon Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many dwellings built in Chelmsford between 2000 and 2007 were classified as affordable housing.

Yvette Cooper: holding answer 2 July 2007
	Between 1 April 2000 and 31 March 2006, in Chelmsford, 850 units of affordable housing were built or acquired. Affordable housing includes both social rent and intermediate housing (e.g. low cost home ownership). Figures on affordable housing supply in 2006-07 are not yet available.
	 Source: Statistical returns from local authorities (P2, HSSA), Housing corporation.

Housing: Low Incomes

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government which Government-run affordable housing schemes, administered by housing associations, are in operation.

Yvette Cooper: The Housing Corporation provides Social Housing Grant under section 18 of the Housing Act 1996 and Section 27 of the Housing Act 2004 to housing associations and other bodies to provide affordable housing. This grant is used to provide both social rented homes and those for sale on low cost home ownership terms. Homes provided can be new build or acquired and refurbished.
	The Government' HomeBuy programme offers three low cost home ownership products based on equity sharing. All three are administered by HomeBuy Agents, who are Housing Associations that provide a one-stop shop for Low Cost Home Ownership products, with Government funding provided by the Housing Corporation.
	Social HomeBuy enables tenants of local authorities and housing associations to buy a share in their current home at a discount. New Build HomeBuy (including the First Time Buyer' Initiative) enables people to buy a share of a newly built property, while paying rent on the unowned share, and Open Market HomeBuy enables people to buy a property on the open market with the help of equity loans.
	There is also an 'intermediate rent' option for eligible individuals that cannot sustain the costs of home ownership, even on our low cost schemes. People can rent a new build property on an assured shorthold tenancy and pay rent at a level between that charged by social and private landlords.

Housing: Low Incomes

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what plans she has to create an Affordable Housing Strategy Group; and if she will make a statement.

Yvette Cooper: The Department already meets regularly with stakeholder groups which discuss affordable housing. We keep these arrangements under review.

Housing: Peterborough

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate she has made of the number of key workers living in the Peterborough city council area.

Yvette Cooper: The Department does not hold data on the number of key workers living in the Peterborough city council area.
	However, since April 2004, 43 key workers in Peterborough city council have received assistance through the Government's key worker housing programme, Key Worker Living (KWL). KWL is one element of the Government's HomeBuy scheme which will expand the opportunity for home ownership to over 120,000 households by 2010.

Housing: Utilities

Roger Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many applications for planning permission in respect of houses designed to be operated unconnected to mains electricity, gas and water supply there have been since 1997; and of these how many were  (a) approved without an appeal and  (b) rejected.

Yvette Cooper: The information requested is not held by the Department.

Key Worker Living Scheme: Civil Servants

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many civil servants are eligible for the key worker discount on housing; and how many have used the discount over the last five years.

Yvette Cooper: None. Civil servants working within Government Departments are not classed as key workers for the purposes of the key worker living scheme.

Landlords: East Lancashire

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate she has made of the number of absentee private landlords in  (a) Pendle and  (b) east Lancashire; and how many there were in (i) 2002 and (ii) 1997.

Iain Wright: We have no estimate of the number of absentee private landlords in Pendle or east Lancashire or how many there were in 2002 and 1997. This is an issue for Pendle and the other authorities in east Lancashire to consider.

Landlords: Licensing

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government which local authorities have brought in schemes to license private landlords in designated areas.

Iain Wright: Four local authorities, Salford, Middlesbrough, Manchester and Gateshead, have brought in schemes under powers within the Housing Act 2004 to license private landlords in designated areas.

Mobile Homes: Surveys

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many people were surveyed in the Park Homes Commission Consultation; and how many votes were cast for each of the three proposed options.

Yvette Cooper: holding answer 2 July 2007
	The consultation paper on the Park Home Commission Rate was published on 10 May 2006. It was sent directly to all key stakeholders and was publicised within the sector. It sought comments on options for reforming the commission payable on the sale of a mobile home. This was a consultation exercise rather than a vote.
	We received 1,250 responses to the consultation. The number of responses that supported each option were:
	Option 1. No change to the current maximum rate of 10 per cent.—161 responses.
	Option 2. A reduction in the maximum commission rate payable for new and existing agreements from 10 per cent. to 7.5 per cent. with a prohibition on a compensatory increase in pitch fees—834 responses.
	Option 3. Reducing the maximum rate of commission on the sale of a park home for new agreements to 0 per cent. without a limitation on a compensatory increase in pitch fees—eight responses.
	In addition, the consultation paper explained that we favoured the option of a lower commission rate (7.5 per cent.) with no increase in pitch fees for existing agreements while prohibiting the charging of a commission and placing no limitation on a compensatory increase in pitch fees for new agreements. Only one respondent supported this option.
	218 respondents suggested alternative proposals and 28 respondents did not give a view on any option.

Multiple Occupation

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment she has made of the quality of information gathering and collation of data on houses in multiple occupation by local authorities; and if she will make a statement.

Iain Wright: holding answer 2 July 2007
	The Department has worked closely over the past 12 months with local authorities in England in the development of a data collection system for houses in multiple occupation, the register of licensable houses in multiple occupation (ROLHMO). This commenced operation in April 2007 and data has been collected from May. It is, therefore, too early to make an assessment of the system's effectiveness. However, the Department is keeping the system under review.

Multiple Occupation

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when she expects the toolkit of good practice guidance for local authorities in respect of houses in multiple occupation to be available for use; and if she will make a statement.

Iain Wright: holding answer 2 July 2007
	The Department has resourced the local authorities coordinators of regulatory services to provide practical advice and assistance to local authorities on private sector housing provisions in the Housing Act 2004, including licensing of houses in multiple occupation. The Department funded the Chartered Institute of Housing to produce a toolkit—The Ways and Means Report—to assist local authorities in their application of the powers under the Act. The Department will be publishing non-statutory guidance on the licensing provisions in the Act during the summer, to reflect best practice in light of local authorities' experiences since implementation in April 2006.

Planning Permission

Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many planning applications were approved against Environment Agency advice in each year since 2000.

Iain Wright: The following data on planning applications permitted by local planning authorities contrary to Environment Agency advice are contained in the report to Communities and Local Government and Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs prepared annually by the Environment Agency and Local Government Association on the impact of the technical advice given to English local planning authorities: No comparable data is available before 2001.
	
		
			   2001-02  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06 
			 Applications permitted by LPAs contrary to Environment Agency advice(1) 283 221 323 248 136 
			 Major applications permitted contrary to Environment Agency advice(2) 50 24 21 29 10 
			 (1) Permitted contrary to sustained objections by the Environment Agency, or with conditions which only partially met/mitigated EA concerns. (2 )Major development is defined in this report as one in which the number of dwellings to be constructed is 10 or more, or the site area is equal to or greater than 0.5 Ha. Non residential developments are defined as major if they involve a floor space equal to or greater than 1,000m(2), or a site area equal or greater than 1 Ha. Figures from 2006 High Level Target 5 (HLT5) report 
		
	
	To set these figures in context the following table gives the percentage of applications permitted by local planning authorities against Environment Agency objection (from table 3 of the 2006 HLT 5 report).
	
		
			   2001-02  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06 
			 Percentage of applications permitted by LPAs against Environment Agency objection(3) 38 11 12 8 5 
			 (3) Decisions made by LPAs (where they notified the Environment Agency) permitted contrary to sustained objections by the Environment Agency, or with conditions which only partially met/mitigated EA concerns. 
		
	
	Since 2001 there has been a significant fall in the number and percentage of planning applications which has been permitted against sustained Environment Agency advice. 95 per cent. of planning decisions on applications in flood risk areas to which the Environment Agency had objected were in line with the Environment Agency's advice compared with 62 per cent. in 2001-02.
	In 2001 Planning Policy Guidance Note 25 (PPG25) was published in response to the floods of Easter 1998 and autumn 2000. These figures reflect the positive impact that PPG25 has had, but also support consultation which showed that while PPG25 had succeeded in raising the profile of flooding in the planning process more was needed to get planning authorities to implement its core policy. Responding to this, we published the new, stronger Planning Policy Statement 25 (PPS25) in December last year to replace PPG25.

Planning Policy Statement 25

Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many planning applications subject to Planning Policy Statement 25 were referred to the Secretary of State in each year since 2000; and how many of them were subsequently approved.

Iain Wright: The Department does not separately record how many of the planning applications that have been called in by the Secretary of State were referred because of issues relating to Planning Policy Statement 25.

Planning: Recycling

Helen Southworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will issue guidance to planning authorities on the provision of recycling points in new developments.

Iain Wright: Our planning policies on waste management are set out in Planning Policy Statement 10 (PPS10). These state that planning authorities should ensure new development makes sufficient provision for waste management and promote designs and layouts that secure integration of waste management facilities without adverse impact on the street scene or, in less developed areas, the local landscape. The standard application form for planning applications, which comes into use across England in October, will require developers to set out the arrangements made for the separate storage and collection of recyclable waste.
	PPS10 also highlights that good design and layout in new development can help secure opportunities for sustainable waste management, including matters relating to kerbside collection and community recycling. The Manual for Streets, a joint publication by the Department for Transport and Communities and Local Government, provides practical advice for designers.

Rented Housing

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what her policy is on the building of housing for rent by local authorities; and if she will make a statement.

Yvette Cooper: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Islington, North (Jeremy Corbyn) on 6 June 2007,  Official Report, column 535W.

Squatting

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many cases of squatting were reported by local authorities in England between June 2006 and June 2007.

Yvette Cooper: The information requested is not held centrally.

Waste Disposal

Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what guidance her Department has issued to regional government offices and the Planning Inspectorate on the content of local authority core strategies for waste disposal.

Iain Wright: holding answer 5 July 2007
	A comprehensive guidance document has recently been produced by the Planning Inspectorate and is available on their website. This draws out the lessons learnt from examining over 100 development plan documents, the majority of which have been core strategies. The Planning Inspectorate's document incorporates a note provided by Communities and Local Government on the waste content of core strategies. The note sits within the policy framework provided by extant planning policy statements (in particular, PPS10 Planning for Sustainable Waste Management and PPS12 Local Development Frameworks) and their supporting practice guidance. Government offices and inspectors who will undertake the examination of development plan documents have had the guidance document drawn to their attention.

DEFENCE

Afghanistan: Peace Keeping Operations

James Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  how many mosquito nets are available to troops in Afghanistan; and how many are required;
	(2)  how often mosquito nets provided to troops deployed in Afghanistan are replaced.

Bob Ainsworth: Over the past year, some 25,000 individual nets have been provided to support operations in Afghanistan. This number is sufficient to meet requirements.
	A mosquito net is issued to each individual deploying to Afghanistan, suitable for use when sleeping in field conditions. They are designed to be used for one deployment and are disposed of locally. A new net will be issued if the same individual deploys again. In the event that a net is damaged, for whatever reason, a new one is issued in theatre.

Afghanistan: Peace Keeping Operations

James Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many rounds of ammunition have been purchased for grenade machine-guns since they have been in use; and how many of them have been provided to troops in Afghanistan.

Bob Ainsworth: Approximately 160,000 rounds of ammunition have been purchased for grenade machine guns since they came into use. This includes ammunition for operations and training.
	I am withholding details of how much ammunition has been delivered to Afghanistan as disclosure would, or would be likely to, prejudice the capability, effectiveness or security of the armed forces. In-theatre stocks of ammunition, however, are currently assessed as adequate.

Alderman Blaxill School: Closures

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  what discussions officials in his Department have had with Essex Local Education Authority on the proposed closure of the Alderman Blaxill School in Colchester; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what recent discussions officials in his Department have had with Essex Local Education Authority on the involvement of the Ministry of Defence in the establishment of a city academy in Colchester; and if he will make a statement.

Derek Twigg: holding answer 5 July 2007
	Officials from Colchester Garrison were briefed on 26 June by Essex county council on issues relating to the placing of Alderman Blaxill School in special measures. At the meeting Essex county council also confirmed that a full consultation process will be implemented in the autumn concerning the proposals for an academy in Colchester and the MOD as an interested party will be invited to participate.

Armed Forces: Training

John Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  what progress he has made on the Defence Training Review since his statement of 17 January 2007,  Official Report, columns 787-802, on Defence Training Review; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  when he expects to sign the Maingate contract for the Defence Training Review rationalisation project;
	(3)  when he expects to take a decision on making the provisional preferred bidder for package 2 of the Defence Training Review programme the preferred bidder.

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he will make an assessment on the outcome of the Whole Programme Solution negotiations with regard to the Defence Training Rationalisation Programme.

Derek Twigg: holding answer 3 July 2007
	In January this year the Metrix Consortium were declared the Preferred Bidder for Package 1 of the DTR Programme, but in view of significant remaining affordability challenges, only Provisional Preferred Bidder for Package 2. Our aim has been to develop a Whole Programme Solution (WPS) by exploring with the Bidder possible synergies and economies of scale across the whole Programme.
	Although significant work has been completed since January we are not yet in a position to confirm whether or not the WPS can be made affordable. We still plan to make a further announcement later this year.

Army Board

Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the cost was of claims made for expenses by the  (a) Adjutant General,  (b) Chief of the General Staff and  (c) Army Board in 2006.

Derek Twigg: The personal claims made by members of the Army Board for reimbursement of expenses incurred in relation to official duties in 2006 are shown in the following table. These figures do not include those costs attributed directly to Ministry of Defence budgets covering, for example, official travel and entertainment activities.
	
		
			  Board member  Total (£) 
			 SofS 0 
			 Min(AF) 0 
			 Min(DES) 0 
			 USofS 75.60 
			 CGS 2,429.53 
			 2nd PUS 388.70 
			 CinC Land 1,059.28 
			 AG 226.45 
			 ACGS 548.55 
			 QMG 1,039 
			 MGO (1)140 
			 GOCNI 2,987.76 
			 (1 )Claims cover a period of six months only and relate to the current incumbent of this position. Information relating to the previous incumbent has not been retained.

Army: ICT

James Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many laptop computers are available to  (a) officers and  (b) other ranks in the army.

Derek Twigg: Precise information is not held centrally but it is estimated that around 8,000 laptop computers are currently in use across the Army as a whole.
	The implementation of the Defence Information Infrastructure (Future) (DII(F)) programme includes an initial provision of some 4,000 laptops for use by the Army. Further incremental provision may add a further 10,000 laptops. The allocation of laptops may be made to a named individual for his or her sole use, regardless of rank, or to a single point of contact within a team for use by any member of that team.

Army: ICT

James Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what changes he intends to make to the availability of laptop computers to the army to facilitate the new system of pay.

Derek Twigg: The Joint Personnel Administration (JPA) programme is modernizing the way the services carry out personnel and pay administration. Laptops are one of a number of devices which have been provided to enable service personnel to access JPA which as one of its functions, requires input of information for pay purposes. The need for access to the JPA system is determined in detail on a site-by-site basis and the most appropriate solution has been supplied in each case.

Clyde Submarine Base

Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether he will consider the recommendations of the naval base review in respect of Faslane, when published, from the point of view of his role as  (a) Secretary of State for Defence and  (b) Secretary of State for Scotland; and if he will make a statement on resolving potential conflicts of interest.

Des Browne: holding answer 4 July 2007
	Defence is a reserved matter and, as such, all decisions relating to military capability, including the naval base review, are taken on the basis of what is best for defence and what provides value for money for the taxpayer.

Departments: Credit Cards

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much was spent by staff in his Department via departmental  (a) credit,  (b) procurement and  (c) fuel cards in each of the last three years.

Bob Ainsworth: Information extracted from the Financial Management Shared Service Centre database covering spend on departmental credit, procurement and fuel cards in each of the last three financial years is set out below.
	In November 2006, the MOD withdrew its Corporate Credit Card facility and replaced it with the Government Procurement Card. The credit card figures provided in the following table reflect this policy decision and show payments for and the Corporate Credit Card up to December 2006 only.
	
		
			  Government procurement card spend 
			  Financial year  Payments  (£)( 1) 
			 2004-05 168,594,451 
			 2005-06 202,499,078 
			 2006-07 218,631,506 
			 (1 )Including VAT. 
		
	
	
		
			  Fuel card spend 
			  Financial year  Payments (£)( 1) 
			 2004-05 17,552,800 
			 2005-06 20,265,338 
			 2006-07 20,571,169 
			 (1 )Including VAT. 
		
	
	
		
			  Credit card spend 
			  Financial year  Payments (£)( 1) 
			 2004-05 14,045,907 
			 2005-06 14,976,250 
			 2006-07(2) 4,246,626 
			 (1) Including VAT.  (2) Up to December 2006.

Departments: Manpower

Oliver Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 14 June 2007,  Official Report, column 168W, on departments: manpower, whether any staff in his Department are classified as people without posts.

Derek Twigg: The Department operates a successful system of redeployment for staff who became surplus and ensures that those staff are given priority consideration for posts for which they are suitable and apply. Information on those classified as without a post is not held centrally.

Departments: Sick Leave

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many staff in his Department have taken  (a) five or more,  (b) four,  (c) three and  (d) two periods of sick leave of less than five days in the last 12 months.

Derek Twigg: The information for 2006 is shown in the following table:
	
		
			  Number of occurrences less than five days  Non-industrial headcount  Industrial headcount 
			 Two periods 8,460 1,860 
			 Three periods 4,930 1,120 
			 Four periods 2,720 580 
			 Five or more periods 3,400 680 
			  Notes: 1. Figures listed above have been rounded to the nearest 10. 2. Data used exclude Royal Fleet Auxiliary staff and Locally Engaged Civilians for whom sickness absence data are not available.

Hercules Aircraft

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 17 May 2007,  Official Report, column 845W, on Hercules aircraft, what percentage of Hercules C-130K aircraft has  (a) returned to the front line within 44 days and  (b) developed fuel leaks following the installation of the foam; and if he will make a statement.

Bob Ainsworth: In order to improve overall aircraft availability to the Front Line Command (FLC), the Hercules C-130K Explosion Suppressant Foam (ESF) modification has been combined with scheduled maintenance wherever possible. All of the aircraft that have been fitted with ESF in conjunction with scheduled maintenance have been returned to the FLC within an agreed timeframe. One aircraft was modified on a standalone programme and the fitment of ESF was completed in 46 days.
	Of the C-130Ks that have been modified with ESF, 75 per cent. have subsequently developed fuel leaks. However, all were repaired by the contractor under warranty and returned to flying. RAF Hercules aircraft are designed and certified to strict airworthiness and safety standards. These fuel leaks did not compromise the safety of the aircraft.

Iraq: Peace Keeping Operations

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when definition of  (a) torture and  (b) abuse he uses in the context of the activities of British armed forces in Iraq; and what account he took of the advice of the Attorney General in formulating this definition.

Des Browne: The definition of torture derives from section 134 of the Criminal Justice Act 1988 which makes it an offence for a public official to commit torture. Article 1 of the United Nations Convention Against Torture outlines what is considered torture for the purposes of the convention. We are also guided by, among other sources, judgments of the European Court of Human Rights and those of our own domestic courts.

Peace Keeping Operations: Casualties

Anthony Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many injured British service personnel were returned from  (a) Iraq and  (b) Afghanistan in each of the last 12 months.

Derek Twigg: The number of personnel who are returned from Iraq and Afghanistan following injury or illness (aeromedically evacuated) is published on the Ministry of Defence website:
	http://www.mod.uk/DefenceInternet/FactSheets/OperationsFactsheets/OperationsInIraqBritishCasualties.htm
	This information is updated on a two-weekly basis in arrears and hence data for June 2007 are currently available only from 1 to 15 June.

Princess Royal Barracks

Lembit �pik: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps his Department has taken to discuss the implementation of the recommendations from the Deepcut Review with Sir Nicholas Blake QC, in the period since its publication in March 2006; and if he will make a statement.

Bob Ainsworth: Subsequent to the publication of the Deepcut Review in March 2006, MOD officials and my predecessor, my right hon. Friend the Member for East Kilbride Strathaven and Lesmahagow (Mr. Ingram) engaged with Sir Nicholas Blake QC on the Government's response to the Review. They also subsequently corresponded on the Government's update to Parliament in a written ministerial statement on 28 March 2007,  Official Report, columns 91-5WS, which set out the progress made on implementing the recommendations made in the Review.

Princess Royal Barracks

Lembit �pik: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will request publication of the contents of the Devon and Cornwall Police review into Surrey Police's handling of the investigation into the deaths at Deepcut Army Barracks; and if he will make a statement.

Bob Ainsworth: This matter is being considered by the Information Commissioner and it would therefore be inappropriate for me to comment at this time.

Transport: AWE Burghfield

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what was transported in the convoy which moved from AWE Burghfield to RAF Brize Norton on 11 June 2007; what the destination was of the transported goods; and what escorts for the convoy were in place.

Bob Ainsworth: I am withholding the information as its release would, or would be likely to, prejudice national security.

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

Arts

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what progress has been made towards meeting his Department's public service agreement target to increase significantly the take-up of arts opportunities by new users from priority groups; and what the change in numbers of users has been from each priority group over the period of the agreement.

Margaret Hodge: The baseline estimates against which progress will be measured were reported in December 2006. They are:
	Attendance at two different types of arts events by priority groups during the past 12 months:
	23.5 per cent. of people from black and minority ethnic groups;
	24.1 per cent. of people with a limiting disability;
	17.4 per cent. of people from lower socio-economic groups (C2DE).
	Participation in two different types of arts activities by priority groups during the past 12 months:
	20.8 per cent. of people from black and minority ethnic groups;
	18.9 per cent. of people with a limiting disability;
	15.3 per cent. of people from lower socio-economic groups (C2DE).
	The first progress report was published on 29 June 2007, and showed no statistically significant change among any of the priority groups. Progress on the target will be monitored on a regular basis until the final assessment is available in late 2008.

Arts: National Lottery

Hugo Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport pursuant to the answer of 25 June 2007,  Official Report, column 39W, on Arts: National Lottery, how much National Lottery  (a) heritage,  (b) sport and  (c) BLF funding (i) Northern Ireland, (ii) Scotland, (iii) Wales and (iv) England received per capita in each of the last five years.

Gerry Sutcliffe: holding answer 4 July 2007
	The per capita figures for grants awarded during the last five completed financial years for Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales and England are set out in these tables. The population figures used are the mid-2005 estimates of the Office for National Statistics.
	The Big Lottery Fund came into existence on 1 December 2006, although prior to that an administrative merger between the New Opportunities Fund (NOF) and the Community Fund had been operating. The figures given for the Big Lottery Fund include grants attributed to the Fund and exclude those attributed to NOF or the Community Fund.
	The figures are derived from information submitted by the relevant distributors to the Department's National Lottery Grants Database as well as directly by some distributors, including UK Sport whose awards are included where they are attributable to a particular home country.
	 HeritageNorthern Ireland (population 1,724,400)
	
		
			   Value of Grants ()  Per capita ( and pence) rounded to nearest penny 
			 2006-07 10,894,821 6.32 
			 2005-06 7,536,638 4.37 
			 2004-05 11,963,362 6.94 
			 2003-04 5,382,091 3.12 
			 2002-03 11,285,160 6.54 
		
	
	 HeritageScotland (population 5,094,800)
	
		
			   Value of Grants ()  Per capita ( and pence) rounded to nearest penny 
			 2006-07 35,986,791 7.06 
			 2005-06 46,564,011 9.14 
			 2004-05 64,535,252 12.67 
			 2003-04 23,360,570 4.59 
			 2002-03 29,590,624 5.81 
		
	
	 HeritageWales (population 2,958,600)
	
		
			   Value of Grants ()  Per capita ( and pence) rounded to nearest penny 
			 2006-07 18,957,707 6.41 
			 2005-06 11,649,479 3.94 
			 2004-05 11,323,232 3.83 
			 2003-04 11,204,658 3.79 
			 2002-03 10,577,318 3.58 
		
	
	 HeritageEngland (population 50,431,700)
	
		
			   Value of Grants ()  Per capita ( and pence) rounded to nearest penny 
			 2006-07 223,717,357 4.44 
			 2005-06 218,928,366 4.34 
			 2004-05 252,430,588 5.01 
			 2003-04 254,380,188 5.04 
			 2002-03 258,303,181 5.12 
		
	
	 SportNorthern Ireland (population 1,724,400)
	
		
			   Value of Grants ()  Per  c apita ( and pence)  r ounded to nearest penny 
			 2006-07 6,290,344 3.65 
			 2005-06 17,337,767 10.05 
			 2004-05 4,139,361 2.40 
			 2003-04 4,162,809 2.41 
			 2002-03 3,543,945 2.06 
		
	
	 SportScotland (population 5,094,800)
	
		
			   Value of Grants ()  Per  c apita ( and pence) rounded to nearest penny 
			 2006-07 16,225,290 3.18 
			 2005-06 13,209,236 2.59 
			 2004-05 12,156,015 2.39 
			 2003-04 17,165,448 3.37 
			 2002-03 36,963,826 7.26 
		
	
	 SportWales (population 2,958,600)
	
		
			   Value of Grants ()  Per  c apita ( and pence) rounded to nearest penny 
			 2006-07 6,470,066 2.19 
			 2005-06 7,044,432 2.38 
			 2004-05 9,521,235 3.22 
			 2003-04 14,994,549 5.07 
			 2002-03 28,078,881 9.49 
		
	
	 SportEngland (population 50,431,700)
	
		
			   Value of Grants ()  Per  c apita ( and pence) rounded to nearest penny 
			 2006-07 84,545,652 1.68 
			 2005-06 99,930,061 1.98 
			 2004-05 326,884,092 6.48 
			 2003-04 144,703,932 2.87 
			 2002-03 233,900,430 4.64 
		
	
	 Big Lottery FundNorthern Ireland (population 1,724,400)
	
		
			   Value of Grants ()  Per  c apita ( and pence) rounded to nearest penny 
			 2006-07 10,636,152 6.17 
			 2005-06 247,846 0.14 
			 2004-05 32,482 0.02 
			 2003-04 0 0 
			 2002-03 0 0 
		
	
	 Big Lottery FundScotland (population 5,094,800)
	
		
			   Value of Grants ()  Per  c apita ( and pence) rounded to nearest penny 
			 2006-07 35,458,529 6.96 
			 2005-06 590,069 0.12 
			 2004-05 0 0 
			 2003-04 0 0 
			 2002-03 0 0 
		
	
	 Big Lottery FundWales (population 2,958,600)
	
		
			   Value of Grants ()  Per  c apita ( and pence) rounded to nearest penny 
			 2006-07 17,056,440 5.77 
			 2005-06 615,295 0.21 
			 2004-05 0 0 
			 2003-04 0 0 
			 2002-03 0 0 
		
	
	 Big Lottery FundEngland (population 50,431,700)
	
		
			   Value of Grants ()  Per capita ( and pence) rounded to nearest penny 
			 2006-07 167,900,058 3.33 
			 2005-06 33,256,139 0.66 
			 2004-05 225,986 0.00 
			 2003-04 0 0 
			 2002-03 0 0 
		
	
	The Department's Lottery Grants Database is searchable at www.lottery.culture.gov.uk and uses information supplied by the Lottery distributors.

Big Lottery Fund

Hugo Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport pursuant to the answer of 11 June 2007,  Official Report, columns 740W, on Big Lottery Fund, what  (a) proportion and  (b) percentage of Big Lottery fund grants to the voluntary and community sector have been made to charities registered with the Charity Commission in each of the last three years.

Gerry Sutcliffe: holding answer 3 July 2007
	The information requested is as follows:
	
		
			  Year ending  Percentage  (monetary)  Percentage (awards) 
			 31 March 2005 76 57 
			 31 March 2006 79 68 
			 31 March 2007 71 58 
		
	
	These figures do not include Awards for All and Veterans, and the Charity Commission only covers England and Wales.

Departments: Buildings

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport on how many occasions his Department's offices were refurbished in each of the last five years; what work was carried out; and what the  (a) original budget and  (b) final cost was in each instance.

Margaret Hodge: In the last five years offices of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport have been refurbished as follows:
	 2-4 Cockspur street, London 2006-07
	renewal of the heating, ventilation, air conditioning, lighting, fire alarm and under floor power;
	replacement of the IT infrastructure, including a new data centre, and network and telephone cabling;
	removal of cellular offices and new open plan layout, including decoration, carpets and construction of meeting rooms;
	new furniture.
	The agreed budget for the refurbishment project was 8.6 million, work is still in
	progress and current expenditure is within budget. This includes removal costs associated with relocating staff from other DCMS buildings into Cockspur street.
	 Queen's Yard , Tottenham Court roa d London
	Air conditioning;
	Electrical works and cabling;
	Fit-out;
	New furniture.
	The budget for the project was originally set at 186, 000 but with the final total cost amounting to 243, 898.25. This included costs associated with relocating staff from other DCMS buildings into Queen's Yard.
	The overspend was due to the need to house additional staff in the building.

Departments: Common Purpose

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much his Department paid to Common Purpose in each of the last five years; for what purpose; and what the outcome of the expenditure was.

Margaret Hodge: In 2002 DCMS paid for two of its employees to attend the Common Purpose Spring Programme, at a total cost of 8,460 in order to further develop their leadership skills.

Departments: Pensions

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many and what percentage of staff in his Department are making additional voluntary contributions to their pensions; and what steps he has taken in the last 12 months to encourage more people to make such contributions.

Margaret Hodge: 28 members of staff in the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (5.34 per cent. of the total number of staff employed by the Department) currently make additional voluntary pension contributions through deductions from their pay.
	Pension scheme members receive an annual benefit statement showing the pension built up to date, and also a projection of pension on retirement if the member continues in service to scheme pension age. The benefit statement provides details of the Civil Service Pensions website where staff can obtain further information, including on options for making additional voluntary contributions to boost their pension.
	Information is also available in the departmental staff handbook about boosting your pension.

Departments: Private Finance Initiative

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the total cost is of all private finance initiative projects for which his Department has responsibility completed since 1997; and what the projected cost is of such projects commissioned or underway.

Margaret Hodge: All DCMS PFI projects are local authority library and leisure projects to which DCMS allocate PFI credit. For contract costs please refer to the signed deals list on HM Treasury's website, http://www.hm- treasury.gov.uk/documents/public_private_ partnerships/ppp_pfi_stats.cfm, which contains details of all PFI deals with the unitary charges stated.
	Please note that unitary charge payments are projections covering more than the repayment of the capital value of a project and are conditional on the performance of the private sector contractor.
	All other procurement costs are borne by local authorities; DCMS do not have details of those budget costs.

Departments: Public Participation

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the total cost was of all consultations held by his Department in the last 12 months.

Margaret Hodge: Over the 12 months to end June 2007, DCMS launched 36 formal public consultations in order to inform the Department's policy development. Information on the total cost of all consultations could be provided only at disproportionate cost. All consultations are available on the departmental website:
	www.culture.gov.uk.

Olympic Games: Greater London

Hugh Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many consultants have been employed by  (a) his Department,  (b) the London Organising Committee for the Olympic Games and  (c) the Olympic Delivery Authority to work on the London 2012 Olympics in (i) the last 12 months and (ii) 2006-07.

Tessa Jowell: I have been asked to reply 
	as Minister for the Olympics.
	The Department for Culture, Media and Sport has not employed consultants to work on the 2012 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games in the current financial year (2007-08). In 2006-07, my Department employed two consultancy firms on Games-related work.
	The Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) employed 53 consultancy firms in the last financial year 2006-07, adding one further consultancy firm to date in 2007-08 to reach a current total of 54.
	The London Organising Committee for the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games (LOCOG) is a privately funded commercial organisation and is therefore not obliged to make available this level of detail about their staffing arrangements.

Olympic Games: Greater London

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport whether his Department consulted Ministers at HM Treasury before approving the logo for the 2012 Olympics.

Tessa Jowell: I have been asked to reply 
	as Minister for the Olympics.
	The development and approval of the new London 2012 brand was the responsibility of the London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games (LOCOG) which is a privately funded organisation. I was invited by LOCOG to view the brand, of which the logo is one element, prior to its launch on 4 June. However, it was not for Government to approve the brand. DCMS did not consult HM Treasury about the brand prior to the launch.

Olympic Games: Greater London

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport pursuant to the answer of 14 June 2007,  Official Report, column 1178W, on the Olympic Games, whether the cost review had reached its conclusions by 25 April 2006.

Tessa Jowell: I have been asked to reply 
	as Minister for the Olympics.
	The cost review had not reached its conclusions by 25 April. Further work on specific areas of the budget continued to be undertaken.

Olympic Games: Greater London

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport pursuant to the answer of 14 June 2007,  Official Report, column 1178W, on the Olympic Games, which other Ministers attended meetings of the cost review group chaired by the Minister for Sport; and which meetings each Minister attended.

Tessa Jowell: I have been asked to reply 
	as Minister for the Olympics.
	No other Ministers attended the cost review group chaired by my right hon. Friend the Member for Sheffield, Central (Mr. Caborn).

Olympic Games: Greater London

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport pursuant to the answer of 14 June 2007,  Official Report, column 1179W, on the Olympic Games, what output the cost review group produced.

Tessa Jowell: I have been asked to reply 
	as Minister for the Olympics.
	The output of the cost review group was the identification of savings and potential savings in different areas of the budget. This work was taken forward to inform:
	changes to the new Olympic Park Masterplan announced on 7 June 2006 and;
	continuing work on the development of the costs package which I announced to the House on 15 March.

Olympic Games: Greater London

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport pursuant to the answer of 14 June 2007,  Official Report, column 1178W, on the Olympic Games, at which of the meetings  (a) powerpoint and  (b) oral presentations were given by KPMG on their work.

Tessa Jowell: I have been asked to reply 
	as Minister for the Olympics.
	KPMG made oral contributions on their work at the cost review group meetings as part of the discussions. They did not give powerpoint or formal presentations.

Olympic Games: Greater London

James Brokenshire: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport which sites have been identified in London to manage  (a) building waste from and  (b) refuse arising from or created as a consequence of the 2012 Olympic Games; and if she will make a statement.

Tessa Jowell: I have been asked to reply 
	as Minister for the Olympics.
	Waste is one of the five themes identified in the London 2012 Sustainability plan and is an important element of delivering a sustainable Games.
	The Olympic Delivery Authority has committed to re-use or recycle 90 per cent. of material arising from demolition works and, to date, has achieved over 95 per cent. Building waste and refuse from construction of the Olympic Park will be subject to a tender process, as will refuse arising from the 2012 Games. Therefore, no sites have been identified at this time for refuse related to the Games. My officials are working with waste authorities to ensure that the needs of the Games are integrated with waste-infrastructure provision.

Playing Fields

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what estimate his Department has made of the change in the number of playing fields of an area of less than 0.4 hectares in each year since 2001-02; and if he will make a statement.

Gerry Sutcliffe: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to him by my right hon. Friend the Member for Sheffield, Central (Mr. Caborn) on 1 November 2006,  Official Report, column 421W. Figures for changes in 2005-06 will not be available until the autumn.

Sports

Hugh Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport whether representatives of  (a) UK Sport,  (b) Sport England,  (c) Youth Sport Trust and  (d) English Institute of Sport plan to attend the Labour Party event at Wembley National Stadium on 12 July 2007.

Gerry Sutcliffe: holding answer 3 July 2007
	As my right hon. Friend the Member for Sheffield Central (Richard Caborn) made clear in his reply to the hon. Member for Faversham and Mid Kent on 3 May 2007,  Official Report, column 1833W, these organisations will play no role in this event, including any official representations.

Sports: Finance

Hugh Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if he will make a statement on progress in raising the 100 million from the private sector for elite sport announced in the 2006 Budget; and which Minister is responsible for that matter.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The Government, supported by UK Sport, continue to consider ways in which to raise 100 million from the private sector to help support our most talented athletes. This is in dialogue with the London Organising Committee for the Olympic games.
	The Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport is responsible for this matter.

Youth Sport Trust: Finance

Hugh Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the  (a) current and  (b) anticipated future budget of the Youth Sports Trust is; and from which sources it draws its funding.

Gerry Sutcliffe: holding answer 3 July 2007
	The Youth Sport Trust is not a non-departmental public body sponsored by the Department and therefore receives no direct funding. It is a registered charity and as such draws its regular funding from a range of corporate sponsors and from a number of grant-making trusts and foundations. In its capacity as an important partner in the delivery of sport for children and young people in schools the Youth Sport Trust receives Exchequer and lottery funding from a number of Government Departments and organisations which include the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF), the Department of Health, Sport England, the Big Lottery Fund, and V, an independent charity championing youth volunteering in England.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Burma: International Red Cross

David Burrowes: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs 
	(1)  what action he is taking to urge the Burmese military regime to permit unhindered access to prisons in Burma by the International Committee of the Red Cross;
	(2)  what action he is taking to urge the Burmese military regime to re-open the offices of the International Committee of the Red Cross.

Meg Munn: We share the deep concerns of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) over the large-scale violations of international humanitarian law committed by the Burmese Government against civilians.
	The Foreign and Commonwealth Office and Department for International Development released a joint statement on 29 June condemning the Burmese Government's failure to co-operate with the ICRC in its efforts to alleviate the suffering of the ordinary people of Burma and to assist mine victims and prisoners. The statement can be found at:
	http://www.fco.gov.uk/servlet/Front/pagename=OpenMarket/Xcelerate/ShowPagec=Pagecid=1007029391629a=KArticleaid=1183540269106year=2007month=2007-06-01
	The European Commission has also issued a press statement expressing its concern about restrictions on the work of the ICRC in Burma. The statement can be found at:
	http://europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=IP/07/1012format=HTMLaged=0language=ENguiLanguage= enhttp://europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=IP/07/1012format=HTMLaged=0language=ENguiLanguage=en
	We regularly raise our concerns with the regime about the serious humanitarian and human rights situation in Burma and will continue to emphasise the importance of the ICRC's humanitarian assistance in Burma.

Burma: Sanctions

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the objectives are of the EU sanctions against Burma; and what assessment he has made of progress made towards meeting these objectives.

David Miliband: The EU's sanctions, as set out in the EU common position on Burma, are an expression of the EU's disapproval of the Burmese regime and its policies and are intended to apply pressure for change. The common position includes a visa ban and assets freeze aimed at the Burmese leaders, their families and associates who formulate, implement or benefit from policies that impede Burma's transition to democracy.
	The common position has two strengths: firstly, it delivers a message to the regime that the EU condemns the regime's actions towards the Burmese people; secondly, it is a unified position supported by all members of the EU and thus delivers a common and united EU message to the regime.
	We are disappointed that the Burmese Government has so far failed to respond to the pressure and encouragement of the international community to embrace substantive democratic change and national reconciliation.
	While we do not believe that sanctions used in isolation will bring about political change in Burma, we take the view that targeted measures aimed at senior members of the regime and their associates, applied in combination with the engagement of the UN and our international partners in the region, provide a clear incentive for substantial political change.

Chechnya: Politics and Government

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with international counterparts on the political situation in Chechnya.

Jim Murphy: The Government remain deeply concerned about the situation in Chechnya. This issue is raised regularly in the context of both UK-Russia and EU-Russia Human Rights Consultations. My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary and I will also continue to discuss Russia in conversations with our international counterparts. I fully expect that these discussions will cover both internal and external issues.

European Constitution Treaty

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans he has to discuss the new EU treaty with his  (a) Czech,  (b) Polish and  (c) Dutch counterpart.

Jim Murphy: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary will have regular contact with all his EU counterparts and looks forward to meeting the Polish and Czech Foreign Ministers. He will discuss many issues with them, including the Reform Treaty.
	My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary met his Dutch counterpart on 5 July. They discussed a number of issues, including the Reform Treaty.

Gibraltar

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he had with his Spanish counterpart on the future sovereignty of Gibraltar in  (a) March,  (b) April,  (c) May and  (d) June 2007.

Jim Murphy: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary and I have yet to have the opportunity to meet our Spanish counterparts since taking up our new positions, but look forward to doing so. I refer the hon. Member to the reply given by my right hon. Friend the then Minister for Europe (Mr. Hoon) to the hon. Member for Romford (Andrew Rosindell) on 4 June,  Official Report, column 236W. As regards sovereignty discussions, it remains the position that the Government would not enter into a process of sovereignty negotiations with which Gibraltar was not content.

Human Trafficking: Conferences

Anthony Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 21 June 2007,  Official Report, column 2205W, on human trafficking: conferences, how many people attended the conference; how many were front-line practitioners; how many were from the UK; how many Members of Parliament from each EU country attended; what conclusions and recommendations emerged from the conference; and what further action is planned.

Kim Howells: The Wilton Park conference entitled Human Trafficking: how best to stem the flow was attended by 61 people from 28 countries and international organisations, with 19 of the participants from the UK (including one hon. Member). Data protection rules prohibit the release of delegates' personal information. The range of participation is reflected in the speakers shown on the conference programme and included policy makers, practitioners, politicians, academics and law enforcement experts and is available on the Wilton Park website at:
	http://www.wiltonpark.org.uk/documents/conferences/WP854/pdfs/WP854prog.pdf
	A Conference Report will be sent to all participants and will be available on the Wilton Park website within one month. The report will be a summary of the main points and conclusions of the conference without attributing remarks. The conference and the subsequent report will be used by participants to inform international policy-making.

Iran: Politics and Government

Bernard Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the political situation in Iran; and if he will make a statement.

Kim Howells: We are concerned by recent political developments in Iran, in particular the increase in restrictions on freedom of expression and peaceful assembly. We also continue to have concerns about Iran's nuclear and ballistic missile programme; its malign interference in Iraq and elsewhere in the region; and its support for terrorism.
	We would welcome dialogue and engagement with Iran as it develops its economy and society and we would remind Iran that, to be a respected member of the international community, Iran has to abide by its international commitments, for example the Nuclear Non-Proliferation treaty and it needs to use its regional influence constructively.

Irian Jaya

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make representations to the Indonesian Government on their decision not to allow Congressman Faleomavaega to visit West Papua.

Meg Munn: We are aware of reports that US Congressman Faleomavaega was denied access to Papua by the Indonesian authorities, who have said they cannot guarantee his safety. We understand that a number of Papuan representatives including members of the MRP (Majelis Rakyat Papua/Papuan People's Council), the Papuan tribal council and Governors Suebu and Atururi travelled from Papua to meet with Congressman Faleomavaega in Jakarta.
	We have not raised this with the Indonesian authorities. The UK's policy on Papua is that we support the territorial integrity of Indonesia and therefore do not support independence for the province of Papua. We believe that the best way to resolve the complex issues in Papua is through promoting peaceful dialogue between Papuan groups and the Indonesian Government. We believe that full implementation of existing Special Autonomy legislation is the best way to proceed towards a peaceful, stable and prosperous Papua province.

Kyrgyzstan: Radioactive Wastes

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assistance is being given by the UK and international agencies to Kyrgyzstan to help it manage its nuclear waste.

Jim Murphy: The UK provides funds to the World Bank and International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), which are the leading international agencies providing assistance to Kyrgyzstan in managing its nuclear waste. The World Bank provides financial support to reduce the danger from uranium wastes in the Ferghana Valley following an earlier study by the European Commission of the potential threat posed by mine wastes at the Mailuu-Suu uranium mine. The IAEA has provided technical assistance in the assessment of the radiation situation at the former uranium mine site. The IAEA has also funded a number of regional projects in central Asia which cover Kyrgyzstan. These include improvement of radiation waste management infrastructure, quality assurance, radiation protection, establishment of national capabilities for response systems, training personnel in radiation safety and management of residues from former mining and milling activities.

Libyan Arab Republic

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans he has to visit Libya.

Kim Howells: My right hon. Friend the then Prime Minister (Mr. Blair), visited Libya on 29 to 30 May. His visit sealed the transformation of UK/Libya relations since Libya's renunciation of terrorism and weapons of mass destruction in 2003. He met Colonel Gaddafi and Prime Minister Baghdadi, and discussed the wide range of areas in which we are co-operating, including trade, health and education. I also discussed these issues during my visit in June 2006.
	My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has no current plans to visit Libya. His foreign engagements, and those of other Ministers, are kept under constant review.

Middle East: Peace Negotiations

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs which UK officials will be seconded to support the work of the Quartet representative as set out in the Quartet statement of 27 June 2007; and if he will make a statement.

David Miliband: We welcome the right hon. Tony Blair's appointment as the Quartet's middle east representative. As Prime Minister, he demonstrated his commitment, over the years, to advancing the middle east peace process. He is exceptionally well placed to take on this role. We understand that details of Mr. Blair's role and how he and his team will operate are being worked out now. We are currently considering how we can support Mr. Blair's work.
	The Quartet's efforts to find a peaceful resolution to the Arab/Israeli conflict are vital not only for the region but for the wider international community. The middle east peace process is one of our top priorities. We will continue to support the Quartet and their new representative in their work.

Somalia: Overseas Aid

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what financial assistance is being made available to aid the  (a) Ethiopian military and  (b) infrastructure reconstruction in Somalia from (i) the UK and (ii) the EU.

Meg Munn: Neither the Government, nor the EU, is providing financial assistance to aid the Ethiopian military's operations in Somalia.
	The Government, through Department for International Development funding, is providing a limited amount of support for infrastructure reconstruction in Somalia through its health and education programmes.
	This includes:
	rehabilitation of key government buildings in Baidoa/Johwar (200,000);
	construction of Hargeisa prison (150,000);
	construction of Hargeisa Police stations (130,000);
	construction of Ghardo Prison (50,000);
	construction of Armo Police Training Academy (7,500); and
	equipping and renovations of civil service/public administration training institutions and support to selected ministries equipment/renovations (200,000).
	The European Commission is providing approximately 50 million per year of reconstruction through its health; education; rural development; governance, water and sanitation and food security programmes. These programmes include elements of infrastructure support.

Sudan: Peace Negotiations

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with the  (a) Sudanese Liberation Movement and  (b) Justice and Equality Movement on seeking peace in Darfur.

Meg Munn: A renewed political process is the only solution to the crisis in Darfur. We remain in close contact with the African Union and UN envoys, who are leading the renewed political process. Officials are in contact with a range of Sudanese rebel representatives based outside Darfur including the Sudanese Liberation Movement and the Justice and Equality Movement. Access to military commanders within Darfur is more difficult, but officials from our embassy in Khartoum are in contact with groups on the ground.
	We use our contacts with the rebels, as with the government of Sudan, to press them to stop fighting and to engage in the political process; to respect international humanitarian law; and to provide safe and unrestricted access to humanitarian agencies. We have made clear that if they do not fulfil their commitments then we will impose further tough measures in the UN Security Council.

Sweden: NATO

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the potential for  (a) Swedish and  (b) Finnish membership of NATO; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Murphy: The Government have made no assessment of the potential for Swedish and Finnish membership of NATO as neither country has requested NATO membership. NATO operates an open door policy and would respect the sovereign decision of any country in the Euro-Atlantic area wishing to apply for membership. Any application would be subject to the consensus approval of the North Atlantic Council.

Uganda: Commonwealth Heads of Government Conference

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what role he expects British police officers to have in Uganda  (a) before and  (b) during the Commonwealth Conference; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Murphy: At the request of the Ugandan Government police officers from the United Kingdom have been involved in training and advising Ugandan security staff in preparation for the state visit of Her Majesty The Queen and the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting. I expect that support to continue until the event.

Uganda: Group of Eight

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether his Department received representations on whether President Museveni of Uganda should have been invited to the latest G8 meeting.

Meg Munn: We did not receive any such representations. It is for the sitting G8 presidency to decide which non-G8 leaders to invite to the annual summit. We welcomed the attendance of many African leaders at Heiligendamm as it gave G8 leaders an opportunity to discuss with them the issues of key importance to Africa today and into the future.

Uganda: Politics and Government

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the effects of the 2005 constitutional amendment in Uganda on the position of that country's President.

Meg Munn: The Ugandan Parliament voted in 2005 to lift the constitutional two-term limit on the office of President to allow incumbents to serve an unlimited number of terms. This enabled President Museveni to stand in the February 2006 elections, when he was re-elected. The next presidential elections are scheduled for 2011.

UN Resolutions: Frontiers

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 2 May 2007,  Official Report, column 1719, on UN resolutions: frontiers, how many further notifications have been received by the UN Security Council Committee established pursuant to UN Resolution 1737 (2006) from states reporting the entry into or transit through their territories of designated persons.

David Miliband: The answer of 2 May given to the right. hon. Member by my right. hon. Friend the then Foreign Secretary (Margaret Beckett)  Official Report, column 1719, noted that two notifications had been received from member states of travel by individuals designated in the Annexes to UN Security Council Resolutions (UNSCR) 1737 (2006) and 1747 (2007), in March. No further notifications have been received by the UN Security Council Committee, established pursuant to UNSCR 1737 (2006), from states reporting the entry into or transit through their territories of designated persons.

HEALTH

Blood: Contamination

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 25 June 2007,  Official Report, column 230W, on blood: contamination, what  (a) written and  (b) verbal communications his Department has had with the UK Haemophilia Centre Directors Organisation to date on the inquiry chaired by Lord Archer into contaminated blood and blood products; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: The Department has not had any formal written or verbal communication with the United Kingdom Haemophilia Centre Doctors' Organisation about the Lord Archer Inquiry.

Breast Cancer: Portsmouth

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many women in Portsmouth  (a) did not accept an invitation to routine breast screening,  (b) did not attend appointments made,  (c) were diagnosed with breast cancer and  (d) died from breast cancer in each of the last three years for which figures are available.

Ann Keen: Data on how many women in Portsmouth who did not accept an invitation to routine breast screening is not collected centrally.
	Data on how many women in Portsmouth who did not attend appointments made (or where the result was inadequate) is shown in the table.
	
		
			  Breast screening programme: Women invited for routine screening by Portsmouth Breast Screening Unit and their attendance each specified year 
			   2003-04  2004-05  2005-06 
			 Number of women invited 19,907 18,677 21,799 
			 Number of women screened (tech adequate)(1) 15,301 12,896 16,275 
			 Did not attend appointments or result was inadequate(2) 4,606 5,781 5,524 
			 (1) Number of women screened who produced a technically adequate result.  (2) Includes a small amount of women who where screened and produced an inadequate result.   Source:  KC62 table 1 A, B, Cl and C2 The Information Centre. 
		
	
	Data on how many women in Portsmouth were diagnosed with breast cancer is shown in the table.
	
		
			  Breast screening programme: Women diagnosed with cancer by Portsmouth Breast Screening Unit by invitation type each specified year 
			   2003-04  2004-05  2005-06 
			 Total women with breast cancer(1) 115 90 128 
			  of which:
			 Women invited for routine screening with breast cancer 93 82 117 
			 (1) Total women with cancer includes those called for routine screening, early recalls, and self and general practitioner referrals.  Source:  KC62 table 3 parts A, B, Cl, and C2 The Information Centre. 
		
	
	Data on how many women in Portsmouth died from breast cancer is shown in the table.
	
		
			  Number of deaths with an underlying cause of breast cancer, females, Portsmouth Unitary Authority, 2003-05( 1) 
			   Deaths (Females 
			 2003 35 
			 2004 30 
			 2005 36 
			 (1) Figures are for deaths registered in each calendar year.  Notes: 1. Cause of death was defined using the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10) code C50. 2. Based on unitary authority boundaries as of 2007.

Breast Cancer: Portsmouth

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what account he has taken of trends in the demographics of Portsmouth in the operation of the NHS Breast Screening programme there;
	(2)  what the average intervals are between routine screening appointments for breast cancer in Portsmouth.

Ann Keen: The Department takes the issues of maintaining the three year interval for breast screening and the demographic challenges facing the breast screening programme over the coming years very seriously. This is why Professor Mike Richards, National Cancer Director, wrote to the chief executives of all 10 strategic health authorities (SHAs) in England on 9 February 2007 on behalf of the Department's Cancer Programme Board.
	The letter to the chief executive of South Central SHA (the SHA area covering Portsmouth), pointed out the demographic challenges facing local breast screening services to help local commissioners plan their service over the coming years. By 2008-09, South Central SHA will have to carry out 185,350 screenings per year (an additional 74 per cent. of its 2004-05 level, inclusive of women in the extended age range of 65-70) in order to achieve and/or maintain the three year screening interval. By 2015-16, 207,250 screenings per year will be needed, a 95 per cent. increase on 2004-05 activity.
	The letter also highlighted the importance of maintaining a three-year screening interval. Between January and March 2007, 99.1 per cent. of women served by the Portsmouth Breast Screening Unit were screened within 38 months of their previous screen. 51 per cent. of women had been screened within three years of their previous screen.
	The Portsmouth Unit are working hard to ensure that all women are screened within three years of their previous screen.

Breast Cancer: Portsmouth

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many women in Portsmouth were invited for breast screening on a routine basis in 2006-07; how many such invitations he expects to be issued in  (a) five and  (b) 10 years; and if he will make a statement.

Ann Keen: The data on the number of women invited for breast screening on a routine basis in 2006- 07 will not be published until February 2008. Data provided, therefore, is for 2005-06. Information on the number of invitations expected to be issued in the next five and 10 years is neither forecast nor collected centrally.
	The table shows the latest data available.
	
		
			  Breast screening programme: Women invited for routine screening by Portsmouth Breast Screening Unit, 2005-06 
			   Number 
			 Total invited for routine screening 21,799 
			 First invitations for routine screening 3,587 
			 Routine invitation to previous non-attenders 1,992 
			 Routine invitation to previous attenders (last screened within five years) 12,634 
			 Routine invitation to previous attenders (last screened more than five years) 3,586 
			  Source: KC62 Tables A, B, Cl and C2 The Information Centre

Cancer

John MacDougall: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what his Department's cancer strategy is for the next decade; and if he will make a statement.

Ann Keen: The Department is currently developing a new Cancer Reform Strategy to build on the successes of the Cancer Plan published in 2000. The work is being led by the National Cancer Director, Professor Mike Richards CBE. More than 1,000 representatives, including patients, clinicians, charities and other independent experts have been involved. The strategy is expected to be published before the end of 2007.

Cancer: Drugs

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the annual expenditure per capita was on cancer drugs in each of the last 10 years; and what benchmarking analysis she has undertaken of expenditure on cancer drugs in other EU countries.

Ann Keen: The Department does not collect information centrally on annual expenditure per capita on cancer drugs. However national health service reference costs returns from the NHS for 2005-06 show that over 460 million is spent on in-patient chemotherapy treatment and drugs. This excludes out-patient costs and excess bed days where patients spend longer in hospital than expected.
	In addition, data from the Prescription Cost Analysis (PCA) System and IMS Health show that annual spend on cancer drugs dispensed in hospitals and the community from 2002 to 2006 increased from 459.6 million to 729.1 million as set out in the following table.
	
		
			   Combined hospital and community data( 2,5) 
			   2002  2003  2004  2005  2006 
			 Anti-cancer drugs(1) 459.6 537.9 611.4 631.2 729.1 
			 (1) Anti-cancer drugs include cancer drugs appraised by National Institute for Clinical Excellence, standard cytotoxic drugs (non-NICE), drugs used for cancer and other conditions, endocrine drugs used for cancer and supportive care drugs used for cancer. (2) Prescription information has been taken from: a. the Prescription Cost Analysis (PCA) system, supplied by the Prescription Pricing Division of the Business Services Agency. This is based on a full analysis of all prescriptions dispensed in the community i.e. by community pharmacists and appliance contractors, dispensing doctors, and prescriptions submitted by prescribing doctors for items personally administered in England. Also included are prescriptions written in Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland and the Isle of Man but dispensed in England. The data do not cover drugs dispensed in hospitals, including mental health trusts, or private prescriptions  b. IMS HealthIMS collect hospital dispensing information from most hospitals in England. 97 per cent. of acute English hospitals supply data to IMS about all medicines dispensed in hospitals. Figures are grossed up to give England level estimates on the basis of bed numbers. IMS hospital dispensing data is released on a regular basis. Each IMS dataset includes data for 24 months and may include updates to earlier data. The datasets used in this table were: data prior to July 2005the dataset issued in early 2006; July 2005 onwardsthe dataset issued April 2007. (3) Cost is given in  million and is the cost of the drugs at NHS list price. It is the basic cost of a drug. It does not take account of discounts, dispensing costs, fees or prescription charges income. (4) IMS data includes all drugs dispensed in NHS hospital regardless of patient, so will include drugs dispensed to private patients in private wards within NHS hospitals as long as they have been dispensed via the hospital pharmacy (extent of this varies from hospital to hospital). (5) The list of drugs used to compile the totals given in this table consists of drugs used in the treatment of cancer in early 2006. There may have been some additions to this list since that time which will not be included in this analysis. 
		
	
	As part of the development of the cancer reform strategy we are looking at where money is currently being spent in cancer services, where cost pressures will come from in the future and how we can get best value for money. As part of this work, we are considering available data on cancer spend including comparisons with other countries. This work is not yet complete.

Cancer: Low Incomes

John MacDougall: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department is taking to tackle financial hardship affecting cancer patients.

Ann Keen: There are a number of ways in which the Department is working to support people in financial hardship with the costs associated with their health care.
	The NHS Low Income Scheme provides support for people in financial difficulties with prescriptions charges, dental treatment, sight tests and glasses and travel to receive national health service treatment through the Hospital Travel Costs Scheme. Financial support is available to those who are eligible through the benefits system, including disability living allowance and attendance allowance.
	The Department is working to make people more aware of the financial support available through information prescriptions, which will be available for everyone with a long term condition by the end of 2008. This commitment is part of the 2006 White Paper Our Health Our Care Our Say.
	We are piloting information prescriptions in 20 sites during 2007, including in four sites focusing on cancer (County Durham PCT, Nottingham university hospitals NHS TrustMid Trent Cancer Network, university hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust and the Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust). These pilots are being run in partnership with voluntary organisations like Cancerbackup and Macmillan Cancer Support. Information prescriptions will guide people to the relevant websites, telephone numbers and support groups for their condition, including information about benefits.
	Further information is made available locally through Patient Advice and Liaison Services, and policies are being developed locally to routinely offer information throughout the cancer patient pathway.

Cardiovascular System: Screening

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether he plans to issue guidance on abdominal aortic aneurysm screening; and if he will make a statement.

Ann Keen: The United Kingdom National Screening Committee (NSC) has advised that screening for men aged 65 for abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAA) can be recommended in principle subject to further work, particularly on the appropriate configuration of treatment services and the provision for men to make an informed choice about whether to undergo screening. The NSC is considering the practical implications that would be involved in implementing a screening programme for AAA. Further detailed work under the auspice of the NSC is being undertaken on a number of practical issues. These include developing standard operating procedures, programme standards, quality assurance procedures and training requirements. The Department's officials will be kept informed on how this work develops.

Cardiovascular System: Screening

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what steps she is taking to ensure that mortality rates for abdominal aortic aneurysm operations are reduced prior to the introduction of a national screening programme; and if she will make a statement;
	(2)  what the mortality rate is in each strategic health authority in England for elective abdominal aortic aneurysm operations; and if she will make a statement.

Ann Keen: Commissioners of care and hospitals providing services have responsibility for ensuring quality of care, taking account of the Report published in October 2005 from the National Confidential Enquiry into Patient Outcome and Death, Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm: A service in need of surgery?. The report is available at:
	www.ncepod.org.uk/2005report2/
	The United Kingdom National Screening Committee (NSC) has advised that screening for men aged 65 for abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAA) can be recommended, in principle, subject to further work, particularly on the appropriate configuration of treatment services and the provision for men to make an informed choice about whether to undergo screening. The NSC is considering the practical implications that would be involved in implementing a screening programme for AAA. Further detailed work under the auspice of the NSC is being undertaken on a number of practical issues. These include developing standard operating procedures, programme standards, quality assurance procedures and training requirements. The Department's officials will be kept informed on how this work develops.
	The information requested regarding mortality rates for elective AAA operations by strategic health authority is not held centrally.

Care Homes: Infectious Diseases

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many  (a) cases of healthcare-acquired infections and  (b) deaths where the death certificate refers to a healthcare-acquired infection in care homes there were in each of the last three years for which figures are available, broken down by (i) type of infection and (ii) type of care home.

Ann Keen: holding answer  2 July  2007
	The information requested on the number of health care associated infections in care homes is not collected.
	The Office for National Statistics (ONS) publish figures on deaths with MRSA (meticillin resistant  Staphylococcus aureus or  Clostridium difficile) mentioned on the death certificate each year. These include figures on the type of place in which the deaths occurred. Information about where the infection was acquired is not collected at death registration and may be different from the place of death. The following tables provide figures for the past three years by type of care home in which the deaths happened.
	
		
			  Number of death certificates mentioning C.difficile( 1) , by place of death( 2) , 2003- 05( 3) 
			   NHS nursing home  Non-NHS nursing home  Private residential home  Local authority residential home  Total 
			 2003 14 28 9 6 57 
			 2004 11 56 17 8 92 
			 2005 24 80 32 8 144 
			 Total 49 164 58 22 293 
			 (1) Identified using the methodology outlined in annual ONS reports on deaths involving  Clostridium  difficile. (2) Place of death records where the death occurred. This information does not imply anything about where any infection was acquired. (3) Deaths occurring in 2003-2005. 
		
	
	
		
			  Number of death certificates mentioning MRSA( 1) , by place of death( 2) , 2003-05( 3) 
			   NHS nursing home  Non-NHS nursing home  Private residential home  Local authority residential home  Total 
			 2003 15 36 15 4 70 
			 2004 6 58 18 5 87 
			 2005 13 87 37 9 146 
			 Total 34 181 70 18 303 
			 (1) Identified using the methodology outlined in annual ONS reports on deaths involving MRSA. (2) Place of death records where the death occurred. This information does not imply anything about where any infection was acquired. (3) Deaths occurring in 2003-05.

Dental Services

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average unit of dental activity value is in each primary care trust.

Ann Keen: Data collected by the Department centrally does not identify the value of units of dental activity or provide a basis for comparisons of such values between primary care trusts (PCTs). PCTs set contract values and service level requirements locally. Each contract specifies an annual contract value and the number of units of dental activity (which are a weighted measure of the courses of treatment given to national health service patients) to be provided over the courses of the year. This relationship between contract values and annual units of dental activity will vary because of a number of factors, including differences in treatment patterns and treatment needs in different areas, the contract values negotiated locally by PCTs and dental practices, and the degree to which PCTs and practices may have agreed service outputs that cannot be measured through patient courses of treatment.

Dental Services: Stockport

Mark Hunter: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much NHS funding was allocated to dentistry provision in Stockport in each year since 1997.

Ann Keen: Primary care trusts (PCTs) assumed full responsibility for local commissioning of primary care dentistry and received devolved budgets with effect from 1 April 2006. The following table shows the Primary Dental Service Resource Allocations for Stockport PCT for 2006-07 and 2007-08.
	
		
			   million 
			  Financial year  Net allocation  Indicative patient charge revenue  Indicative gross budget 
			 2006-07 11.232 5.463 16.695 
			 2007-08 11.972 5.452 17.424 
		
	
	Prior to April 2006, most primary dental services were provided under former General Dental Service (GDS) arrangements. These were demand led services where the pattern of dental expenditure was largely determined by where dentists chose to practice, and how much national health services work they chose to undertake. PCTs were not given fixed GDS funding allocations. In a number of areas, Personal Dental Service (PDS) pilots were also established, where some former GDS dental practices and some directly managed dental services converted to locally commissioned arrangements to test new ways of working and new forms of contract remuneration. PDS pilots were introduced in 1998 and were funded by PCTs from supplementary allocations issued by the Department of Health.
	The following table shows the available data on expenditure on the former GDS and PDS services for Stockport PCT for 1997-98 to 2005-06. The difference between gross and net expenditure is the contribution to costs from dental charges collected directly from patients.
	Note that reliable data on PDS expenditure are available only for the financial years 2004-05 and 2005-06. Therefore, the figures shown for gross GDS and PDS and net GDS and PDS before 2004-05 may be lower than the true total GDS and PDS spend. Changes from year to year may be affected by the shift from GDS to PDS in 2004-05.
	
		
			  Core GDS and PDS Dental Payments within Stockport PCT, 1997-98 to 2005-06( 1, 2, 3, 4, 5) 
			   million 
			   1997-98  1998-99  1999-2000  2000-01  2001-02  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06 
			 Gross GDS 9.031 9.602 9.823 10.475 11.142 11.356 10.571 7.236 4.928 
			 Gross PDS5.581 9.429 
			 Net GDS 5.783 6.132 6.240 6.687 7.207 7.451 7.046 5.066 3.805 
			 Net PDS4.384 7.354 
			 Gross GDS and PDS 9.031 9.602 9.823 10.475 11.142 11.356 10.571 12.817 14.357 
			 Net GDS and PDS 5.783 6.132 6.240 6.687 7.207 7.451 7.046 9.450 11.159 
			 (1) Gross GDS payments include adult fees (including item of service and continuing care payments), child fees (including item of service and capitation payments), commitment payments and point of treatment check payment training (in 2001 only), seniority payments, maternity/paternity/adoptive leave payments, long-term sick leave payments, continuing professional development allowances including travel hours, reimbursement of business rates, vocational training grants and clinical audit payments. The following costs are excluded from these data: employer's superannuation costs, vocational trainee salaries and national insurance contribution costs, clinical audit convenors, clinical audit secretarial support costs and travel expenses, and costs associated with any salaried general dental practitioners and emergency dental services.  (2) PDS payment data are included from 2004-05 onwards only and relates to baseline payments or the agreed regular monthly payments made to PDS practices. Reliable PDS data at practice level are not available prior to 2004-05. The data cannot identify the cost of any PDS services that are directly managed by local NHS trusts, such as certain dental access centres.  (3) In the immediate aftermath of dental practices converting from GDS to PDS pilots, there can be a period of overlapping expenditure as time lags in submitting GDS treatment claims can mean that clearance of GDS arrears coincides with the start of regular PDS payments.  (4) Payments to dental practices are assigned to areas on the basis of practice postcode data. The practices themselves may draw patients from a wider catchment area.  (5) Net payments represent the balance of payments due after taking account of NHS dental charge income collected from patients by dental practices.   Source:  Information Centre and the Business Services Authority.

Dental Services: Stockport

Mark Hunter: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many NHS dentists there are working in Stockport; and how many there were in each year since 1997.

Ann Keen: Numbers of national health service dentists within Stockport Primary Care Trust (PCT) as at 31 March 1997 to 2006 are available in Annex E of the NHS Dental Activity and Workforce Report England: 31 March 2006.
	This information is based on the old contractual arrangements. This report is available in the Library and is also available at:
	www.ic.nhs.uk/statistics-and-data-collections/primary-care/dentistry/nhs-dental-activity-and-workforce-report-england-31-march-2006.
	Numbers of NHS dentists within Stockport PCT as at 30 June, 30 September, 31 December 2006 and 31 March 2007 are available in Table G of Annex 3 of the NHS Dental Statistics for England Q4: 31 March 2007 report. This report is available in the Library and is also available at:
	www.ic.nhs.uk/pubs/dentalq4.
	The figures for quarter four and the earlier quarters in the year are provisional and are subject to revision. The final work force figure for 2006-07 will not be available until August 2007 when the Information Centre (IC) will publish an end year report on the first 12 months of the new contractual arrangements.
	This information is based on the new dental contractual arrangements and is not directly comparable with earlier information.
	In both sets of figures, no account is taken of the level of service, if any, that each dentist provides.

Dental Services: Stockport

Mark Hunter: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many NHS dental surgeries there are in the Stockport Primary Care Trust area; and how many of these are accepting new NHS patients.

Ann Keen: The number of dental surgeries that are accepting new national health service patients is not collected centrally.
	As at 29 June 2007, there were 61 NHS dental surgeries within Stockport Primary Care Trust (PCT).
	The areas have been defined using practice postcodes within the PCT area. The figure provides a snapshot of the number of addresses with a contract at the specified date.
	No account is taken to the level of service, if any, that each dentist provides.
	 Source
	The Information Centre for health and social care and the NHS Business Services Authority.

Dental Services: Stockport

Mark Hunter: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many NHS patients are registered with NHS general dental practitioners in the Stockport Primary Care Trust area.

Ann Keen: Registration data no longer form part of the data available under the new national health service dental contractual arrangements. The new measure is patients seen in the previous 24 months and is not comparable to the registration data for earlier years.
	Numbers of patients seen, by adult and child, in the previous 24 months ending 31 March, 30 June, 30 September, 31 December 2006 and 31 March 2007 in Stockport Primary Care Trust, are available in Section F1 of Annex 3 of the 'NHS Dental Statistics for England Q4:31 March 2007 report'. This report is available in the Library.
	Information is as at England, strategic health authority and PCT level and the report, published by The Information Centre for health and social care, is also available on-line at:
	http://www.ic.nhs.uk/pubs/dentalq4

Diseases: Thyroid Gland

David Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what representations he has received on the diagnosis and management of hypothyroidism.

Ann Keen: Representations on the diagnosis and management of hypothyroidism have been recently received from a small number of health professionals and members of the public, and from members of parliament on behalf of their constituents.
	These representations have raised concerns over the over-reliance on blood tests in the diagnosis of hypothyroidism, and the possibility of under diagnosis of this condition.
	At present, it is considered good medical practice to confirm a diagnosis of hypothyroidism though physical examination, clinical history and blood tests.

Doctors: Training

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many specialty training posts will be available in round 2; and how many of those are  (a) run-through training posts and  (b) fixed-term specialist training appointments;
	(2)  how many junior doctors from the foundation year 2 cohort have not  (a) received and  (b) accepted offers of training places in round 1;
	(3)  what proportion of posts have been filled by junior doctors in round 1, broken down by  (a) specialty and  (b) level.

Ann Keen: holding answer 5 July 2007
	 The information requested is in the final stages of validation and will be published shortly.

Doctors: Training

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will create further specialty training posts for autumn 2007 beyond the 215 extra specialty training posts already announced.

Ann Keen: holding answer 5 July 2007
	There are no plans to create further run-through specialist training posts for 2007 beyond the 215 already announced. However, for those who have successfully completed the Modernising Medical Careers foundation training programme and who demonstrate their ability to progress, there will be new training programmes through one-year fixed term appointments. There will also be a range of educational grants available to enable doctors either to get an additional year's experience in their chosen specialty or to choose to gain experience in a different specialty, thus giving them all a better chance to apply and secure a training programme next year.

Doctors: Training

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether junior doctors who failed to obtain a run-through training post this year will be able to apply for them in subsequent years.

Ann Keen: holding answer 5 July 2007
	Provided they meet the eligibility criteria for the year in which they apply junior doctors will be able to apply for posts advertised in that year.

Hazardous Substances: Transport

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the Best Practice Guidance on the Transport of Infectious Substances published on his Department's website on 1 June 2007, Gateway reference 8334, whether his Department is aware of any occasions on which cultures containing  (a) Escherichia coli (verocytotoxigenic),  (b) Mycobacterium tuberculosis and  (c) Shigella dysenteriae have been sent via Royal Mail.

Dawn Primarolo: The Department does not monitor the transportation of infectious substances but recommends that cultures containing  (a) Escherichia coli (verocytotoxigenic),  (b) Mycobacterium tuberculosis and  (c) Shigella dysenteriae are transported by a specialist courier company. Details are found in Transport of Infectious SubstancesBest Practice Guidance for Microbiology Laboratories, Gateway reference 8334.

Hospitals: Infectious Diseases

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many  (a) cases of C. difficile and  (b) deaths where the death certificate refers to C. difficile there were in each acute hospital trust in England in the most recent period for which figures are available.

Ann Keen: holding answer 2 July 2007
	The Health Protection Agency (HPA) publishes mandatory surveillance data for Clostridium difficile infection on its website. The scheme began in January 2004 and up until 31 March 2007 all acute national health service trusts had to report all cases of C.difficile infection for patients aged 65 years and over. Annual data for individual trusts for the first three years (2004, 2005 and 2006) are available on the HPA website at www.hpa.org.uk/infections/topics_az/hai/C_diff_annual_Apr_2007.xls A copy of the tables has been placed in the Library.
	No figures on numbers of deaths as recorded on death certificates are routinely available by NHS trust.

Hospitals: Infectious Diseases

Mark Tami: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the number of cases of clostridium difficile that were caused by in-hospital contamination in each of the last three years.

Ann Keen: The Health Protection Agency publishes data on the mandatory surveillance scheme for Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) on its website,
	www.hpa.org,uk/infections/topics_az/hai/Mandatory_Results.htm.
	The scheme began in January 2004 and up until 31 March 2007, all acute national health service trusts in England had to report all cases of CDI for patients aged 65 years and over. The annual national figures are shown in the following table.
	Annual cases of GDI in England
	
		
			   Annual cases( 1)  of CDI 
			 January to December 2004 44,314 
			 January to December 2005 51,767 
			 January to December 2006 55,681 
			 (1 )Cases are defined as all diarrhoeal specimens that test positive for C. difficile toxin (where the patient has not been diagnosed with CDI in the preceding four weeks).  Note: The data collected do not include information on where the infection was acquired, thus we do not know how many of these cases are acquired in hospital.

Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 20 June 2007,  Official Report, column 1920W, on the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation, when the minutes are likely to be agreed.

Dawn Primarolo: The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation minutes have now been agreed and copies are available in the Library and at:
	www.advisorybodies.doh.gov.uk/jcvi/mins140207.htm
	www.advisorybodies.doh.gov.uk/jcvi/mins-hpv-280207.htm

Maternity Services: Midlands

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many additional nursing posts were created in the neonatal units at  (a) Stoke,  (b) Wolverhampton and  (c) Shrewsbury hospitals in (i) 2005, (ii) 2006 and (iii) 2007;
	(2)  how many nurses were employed in the neonatal units at  (a) Stoke,  (b) Wolverhampton and  (c) Shrewsbury hospitals in (i) 2005 and (ii) 2006; and how many are now employed.

Ann Keen: The information requested is not available in the format requested.
	The Department centrally collects staffing data in an annual survey at acute trust level. Therefore, data is not available by individual hospital or for a geographical area of the country. The data collected reflects the number of staff rather than the number of posts. While the data can be broken down to maternity services area of work, it is not possible to separate out data for neonatal units.
	Data on NHS hospital and community health services: Qualified nursing, midwifery and health visiting staff in the maternity services area of work, as at 30 September for 2005 and 2006 (latest data available), is shown in the table. The trusts within the table are those within the geographical areas requested.
	
		
			  Trust  2005  2006 
			 University hospital of North Staffordshire NHS trust 299 297 
			 The Royal Wolverhampton hospitals NHS trust 147 140 
			 Shrewsbury and Telford hospital NHS trust 303 277 
			  Notes: More accurate validation processes in 2006 have resulted in the identification and removal of 9,858 duplicate non-medical staff records out of the total workforce figure of 1.3 million in 2006. Earlier years' figures could not be accurately validated in this way and so will be slightly inflated. The level of inflation in earlier years' figures is estimated to be less than 1 per cent. of total across all non-medical staff groups for headcount figures (and negligible for full-time equivalents). This should be taken into consideration when analysing trends over time.  Source:  Information Centre for health and social care non-medical workforce Census

Maternity Services: Royal Shrewsbury Hospital

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will make a statement on the impact of proposed changes to neonatal care at Royal Shrewsbury hospital on babies born under 27 weeks' gestation currently cared for at the hospital.

Ann Keen: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 7 June 2007,  Official Report, columns 656-57W.

MRSA: Disease Control

Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance is issued to hospital trusts on whether patients with MRSA infections should be nursed in single rooms.

Ann Keen: holding answer 2 July 2007
	Guidance on the management of patients with methicillin resistant staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infections was drawn up by a joint working party of the British Society of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy, the Hospital Infection Society and the Infection Control Nurses Association. It was published in the Journal of Hospital Infection in March 2006(1).
	The guidance makes clear that patient isolation for those infected or colonised with MRSA will be dependent on the facilities available and the associated level of risk. Isolation should be in a designated closed area that should be clearly defined; in most facilities, this will be either single-room accommodation or cohort areas/bays with clinical hand-washing facilities. The guidance also states that consideration should be given to the provision of isolation wards to contain MRSA spread.
	In addition to the guidance referred to above, the Health Act 2006, Code of Practice for the Prevention and Control of Health Care Associated Infections, requires trusts to have policies on allocation of patients to isolation facilities based on local risk assessment.
	 Source:
	(1) Published March 2006 (online version, April 2006), by the Journal of Hospital Infection, (Volume 63, Supplement 1, Pages S1-S44).

MRSA: Disease Control

Anne Milton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of using ozone to combat the threat of MRSA; how many representations on the subject he has received; and if he will make a statement.

Ann Keen: The Rapid Review Panel, convened by the Health Protection Agency at the request of the Department, has reviewed seven products that use ozone and none of these demonstrate that their use reduces infection rates. The use of ozone to reduce methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus infections is unproven.

NHS: Finance

Mark Tami: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  pursuant to the answer of 9 May 2007,  Official Report, column 278W, on NHS finance, whether rates of clostridium difficile were taken into consideration during the allocation of grants under the capital challenge fund scheme;
	(2)  pursuant to the answer of 9 May 2007,  Official Report, column 278W, on NHS finance, what factors were taken into account in the decision to allocate funds to hospitals under the capital challenge fund scheme.

Ann Keen: All acute trusts were offered an allocation of 300,000 under the Capital Challenge Fund in order to enable investment in tackling infections to be increased quickly. All applications for funding up to that level were approved in full. There was no need for additional factors, including rates of Clostridium difficile infection to be taken into account. For national health service foundation trusts (NHSFTs), the Capital Challenge Fund offered a potential addition of 300,000 to public dividend capital. In order to receive the addition, NHSFTs had to meet the general rules for entitlement to public dividend capital.

NHS: Repairs and Maintenance

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the estimated cost of required maintenance in the NHS was in each financial year since 1997-98; and what this figure was for 2006-07, broken down by NHS organisation.

Ben Bradshaw: The summary information requested is in the table.
	Investment to reduce backlog maintenance will be prioritised locally based on risk assessment, reconfiguration planning and available resources. The majority of the backlog maintenance relates to low priority work which will be undertaken through ongoing maintenance programmes. Where higher risks are present, work will be undertaken as a priority.
	
		
			   Total backlog maintenance ( million) 
			 1997-98 2,836 
			 1998-99 3,027 
			 1999-2000 3,108 
			 2000-01 3,242 
			 2001-02 3,378 
			 2002-03 3,517 
			 2003-04 3,193 
			 2004-05 3,142 
			 2005-06 3,684 
		
	
	The data is as provided by the national health service and has not been amended centrally. Its accuracy and completeness is the responsibility of the provider organisation. A list of the latest available figures broken down by NHS organisation has been placed in the Library.

Sight Impaired: Low Incomes

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assistance is available for  (a) the elderly and  (b) people on low income who need spectacles; what the eligibility criteria are; how much was (i) allocated for such assistance and (ii) received on average by claimants in 2006-07; and if he will make a statement.

Ann Keen: Individuals aged over 60 who are in receipt of Income Support, income-based Job seeker's allowance, or tax credits and meeting qualifying conditions, or who qualify for help under the National Health Service Low Income Scheme, can get help with the cost of glasses or contact lenses via an NHS optical voucher. Individuals under 60 and on low incomes may also be entitled to NHS optical vouchers. NHS optical vouchers provide eligible groups with flexibility over which glasses or contact lenses they choose and where they buy them.
	There are nine voucher bands with vouchers ranging from 34.60 to 190.90, depending on the patient's prescription.
	Expenditure on NHS optical vouchers is demand-led and not subject to a cash limited allocation.
	Figures for expenditure in 2006-07 are not yet available. In 2005-06, 65 per cent., of vouchers reimbursed were for adults receiving income support, income-based job seeker's allowance, tax credits, or those eligible for help under the NHS Low Income Scheme. It is not possible to estimate how many of these vouchers were for people aged over 60 alone.
	The estimated total cost of vouchers and repairs and replacements for these groups in 2005-06 was around 104 million, based on a total spend of 159 million for all eligible patients.

Vaccination: Side effects

Ian Stewart: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many  (a) deaths and  (b) other adverse reactions to vaccines were reported in each of the last 30 years; and whether there were any deaths in each year from 1964 to 2007 attributed to vaccination.

Dawn Primarolo: The following table lists the numbers of reports of suspected adverse reactions (ADRs) to vaccines submitted to the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) via the yellow card scheme between 1 January 1964 and 31 December 2006.
	It is very important to note that the report of a suspected ADR via the yellow card scheme and inclusion in this list does not necessarily mean that the event was caused by the vaccine. Yellow card reports are suspicions that a vaccine or medicine may have caused an event and are not proof of a causal association.
	The increase in total reports in the year 2000 was due to the meningitis C immunisation campaign during which more than 18 million doses of the vaccine were administered in just over a year.
	Data from the yellow card scheme is continually reviewed to identify new safely issues with medicines and vaccines, and where issues are identified appropriate action is taken to protect public health.
	
		
			  Received year  Number of reports  Fatal reports 
			 1964 111 1 
			 1965 128 1 
			 1966 148 1 
			 1967 119 0 
			 1968 246 4 
			 1969 220 11 
			 1970 171 5 
			 1971 159 4 
			 1972 147 5 
			 1973 133 7 
			 1974 189 5 
			 1975 207 1 
			 1976 386 3 
			 1977 544 2 
			 1978 577 6 
			 1979 609 8 
			 1980 693 4 
			 1981 579 5 
			 1982 587 5 
			 1983 495 4 
			 1984 677 4 
			 1985 876 12 
			 1986 1,102 4 
			 1987 807 5 
			 1988 1,441 11 
			 1989 1,969 12 
			 1990 1,428 5 
			 1991 1,166 21 
			 1992 1,641 16 
			 1993 2,422 30 
			 1994 2,640 11 
			 1995 1,668 14 
			 1996 1,329 5 
			 1997 1,255 9 
			 1998 1,297 12 
			 1999 2,471 8 
			 2000 12,816 38 
			 2001 1,416 17 
			 2002 1,309 17 
			 2003 2,052 14 
			 2004 1,757 14 
			 2005 2,205 14 
			 2006 1,465 10

HOME DEPARTMENT

Serious and Organised Crime Agency

David Burrowes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the Serious and Organised Crime Agency.

Tony McNulty: The Serious Organised Crime Agency has just published its first annual report, which highlights significant achievements for an organisation that has only been in existence for just over a year.
	This report identifies how SOCA has performed against their strategic imperativesin response to the priorities laid down by the Home Secretaryand incorporates illustrations of operational successes.

Child Trafficking

Anthony Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department If she will make a statement on the findings of the Child Exploitation Online Protection Centre scoping project on child trafficking in the UK.

Vernon Coaker: The Home Office commissioned this report in 2006 to improve our knowledge of the nature and extent of child trafficking in the UK. We are most concerned about the plight of child victims revealed in the findings and welcome the recommendations which are being actively pursued as part of the Government's Action Plan on Tackling Human Trafficking.

Immigration Review

Douglas Carswell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what progress has been made on the implementation of her Department's immigration review.

Liam Byrne: Good progress has been made since the IND review was published last year, meeting almost all of the milestones we had set to achieve by April 2007.
	The Border and Immigration Agency was established as a shadow agency in April and has since published its priorities and work programme for 2007-08.

Credit Card Fraud

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what guidance she has issued to banks on reporting credit card fraud following the changes to the reporting procedures for such fraud which came into force in January.

Vernon Coaker: The Home Office has been liaising with the UK Payments Association (APACS) on changes in relation to the reporting and recording of cheque and plastic card crime. APACS have notified all of their members of the changes prior to 1 April 2007.

DNA Database

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department in what circumstances the DNA of children under 10 years old may be included on the national DNA database.

Meg Hillier: Only when the child's parent or guardian consents to a request from the police to take a DNA sample. 108 children under 10 were on the database at 31 January 2007.

Public Order Offences

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many  (a) antisocial behaviour orders and  (b) fixed penalty notices were served in the last 12 months for which figures are available; and if she will make a statement.

Vernon Coaker: The Courts issued some 4,000 antisocial behaviour orders in England and Wales in 2005.
	Provisional figures for 2006 show that the police issued some 200,000 penalty notices for disorder in England and Wales. 146,000 were issued in 2005. The payment rate is 53 per cent.
	Some 3.5 million fixed penalty notices were also for motoring offences in 2004. The payment rate for these is 88 per cent.
	Other agencies, including local authorities may also issue fixed penalty noticeswe do not collect data on those.

Deportation

James Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the new grounds for deporting people for fomenting extremism under the 12 point plan announced by the then Prime Minister in August 2005.

Tony McNulty: The new grounds introduced in 2005 were an effective clarification of Government policy in dealing with extremism. To date one person has been deported and 52 excluded from the UK on these grounds. In the same period we have deported nine and excluded 124 individuals on national security grounds.

Terrorism

Patrick Mercer: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what representations she has received on warnings for the public following the recent terrorist attacks.

Tony McNulty: The Home Secretary has not received any representations on warnings for the public following the recent terrorist attacks.

National Identity Card Scheme

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent progress has been made on the National Identity Card Scheme; and if she will make a statement.

Meg Hillier: The Government remain committed to the introduction of the national identity scheme.
	ID cards are essential in combating identity fraud and illegal immigration and in disrupting organised crime and the continued threat of terrorism.

National Identity Card Scheme

David Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent progress has been made on the National Identity Card Scheme; and if she will make a statement.

Liam Byrne: The Government remain committed to the introduction of the national identity scheme.
	ID cards are essential in combating identity fraud and illegal immigration and in disrupting organised crime and the continued threat of terrorism.

Drug-related Crime

Humfrey Malins: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent assessment she has made of the effectiveness of measures to combat drug-related crime.

Vernon Coaker: Recorded acquisitive crimeto which drug-related crime makes a significant contributionhas fallen by 20 per cent. since the onset of the Drug Interventions Programme (DIP) and DIP is now getting, on average, over 3x500 drug misusing offenders into drug treatment each month.
	Completion rates for Drug Treatment and Testing Orders (DTTOs) and Drug Rehabilitation Requirements (DRRs) have risen significantly from 28 per cent. in 2003 to 44 per cent. in 2006-07. We know that offenders who complete these orders have significantly lower reconviction rates (53 per cent.) than those who do not (91 per cent.). Research findings also show a reduction of up to 10 per cent. in re-offending rates of those engaging in prison treatment, providing there is relevant aftercare provision.

Police: East Midlands

David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what representations she has received on the level of funding for police authorities in the East Midlands region.

Tony McNulty: A number of police authorities and police forces in the East Midlands, as well as several hon. Members, have made representations.
	Police forces in the East Midlands, like all forces in England and Wales, have benefited from sustained increases in funding over the past decade.

Respect Taskforce

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families on the work of the Respect Taskforce on reducing antisocial behaviour.

Jacqui Smith: I have had no formal discussions with the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families prior to 28 June, when, following machinery of Government changes the new Department for Children, Schools and Families assumed responsibility for the Respect Task Force.

Databases: Vandalism

James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment she has made of the merits of creating a national database of incidents of graffiti dealt with by local authorities.

Vernon Coaker: holding answer 9 July 2007
	A national database of graffiti incidents currently exists and is maintained by the British Transport Police and Transport for London. The images held on the database are uploaded by authorised practitioners, such as police officers and local authority officers who can access the database free of charge. The purpose is not to act as either an intelligence or crime recording system but to facilitate communication between partnership agencies that have an interest in sharing information relating to graffiti. My Department is in discussions with the British Transport Police regarding the effectiveness of the current system.

Police Interrogation: Interpreters

David Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether she has  (a) asked for and  (b) received any estimate of the total cost of providing translation facilities in police stations for people being interviewed.

Tony McNulty: Code C issued under the Police and Criminal Evidence Act (PACE) 1984 provides that chief officers of each police force are responsible for making sure that appropriate arrangements are in place for provision of suitably qualified interpreters for people who are deaf or who do not understand English. Information is not collated centrally on the cost of these arrangements.
	A survey of nine forces carried out in December 2006 by the Office of Criminal Justice Reform (OCJR) showed that some forces do not compile separate records of the costs so no estimate of the total cost is available. However, the Metropolitan police do keep detailed records and their annual costs amounted to 8.8 million in 2005-06. OCJR
	estimate that the Metropolitan police accounts for about half of the national spend on interpreters.

Police: Airports

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Transport on the funding of airport policing.

Tony McNulty: The funding of uniformed police at airports was examined last year by an independent review. Since that time both the Home Office and the Department for Transport have been working with representatives from airport operators, ACPO and the police authorities to develop an agreed way forward on the basis of that review's analysis and recommendations.

Police: Complaints

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will consider the merits of his Department compiling and publishing statistics on police complaints in conjunction with the Independent Police Complaints Commission.

Tony McNulty: The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) has responsibility for the operation of police complaints system and the publication of statistics relating to police complaints. Arrangements for the collection and publication of complaint statistics work well and there are no plans to change them. The IPCC publishes data on police complaints in its annual reports laid before Parliament by the Secretary of State.

Police: Complaints

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 18 June 2007,  Official Report, column 1514W, on police: complaints, if he will make a statement on his meeting with the Independent Police Complaints Commission in March 2007, with particular reference to complaints statistics; and if he will place the minutes of the meeting in the Library.

Tony McNulty: The meeting was part of a visit to the IPCC and no minutes were kept.

Police: Driving Offences

Nicholas Clegg: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what guidance she has issued to police forces on the prosecution of police drivers who are caught speeding when not on an emergency call; and if she will make a statement.

Jacqui Smith: Under section 87 of the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984 a vehicle is exempt from speed limits if it is being used for a police purpose and if observance of a limit would hinder that purpose. Police purpose is not defined and is therefore not necessarily restricted to emergency responses. Whether or not to rely on section 87 in any particular case is a decision for the police.
	Guidance from the Association of Chief Police Officers is that generally no action should be taken when a vehicle is detected speeding if it is using its blue emergency lights. If it is not, the case should be investigated. If the exemption is claimed and there is no evidence to challenge the claim, it should be accepted as valid and no further action taken. If the exemption is not claimed, the case should be processed as normal. If, in the event of a prosecution, the defendant claims the exemption, it will be for the court to decide if the claim is valid.

Police: Driving Under Influence

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police officers in each police force were  (a) prosecuted,  (b) disciplined and  (c) dismissed for drink driving related offences in each of the last three years.

Tony McNulty: This information is not collected by the Home Office.

Police: Health

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 20 June 2007,  Official Report, column 1967W, on police health, when he expects the Police Advisory Board for England and Wales working group to publish its findings on national fitness standards for police officers.

Tony McNulty: The Police Advisory Board for England and Wales (PAB EW) working group responsible for looking into police fitness standards is currently planning its programme of workso it is difficult to say exactly when this will be completed. However, I expect the group to report to Ministers on at least one of the specialist police roles sometime in 2008.
	The PAB EW advises Ministers on policing matters and a Government position is arrived at on the basis of that advice.

Police: Labour Turnover

Shailesh Vara: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police officers left each police force in each year since 2001 due to  (a) retirement,  (b) resignation,  (c) transfer to another force and  (d) other reasons.

Tony McNulty: The available data are from 2002-03 onwards and are given in the tables.
	Details on the number of police officer leavers (including those officers transferring to other forces but not those returning after a period of secondment) are published in the Home Office Statistical Bulletin series Police Service Strength, England and Wales. The latest available bulletin is available for download from:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs06/hosb1306.pdf
	
		
			  Police officer leavers( 1)  by police force area (FTE)( 2)  from 2002-03 to 2005-06( 3,4) 
			   2002-03( 5)  2003-04 
			   Retirements  Resignations  Transfers  Other( 6)  Retirements  Resignations  Transfers  Other 
			 Avon and Somerset 31 11 12 2 67 52 17 5 
			 Bedfordshire 21 22 18 3 27 39 37 1 
			 Cambridgeshire 34 22 26 6 40 23 30 2 
			 Cheshire 73 10 7 3 60 21 18 1 
			 Cleveland 32 3 8 5 43 23 8 3 
			 Cumbria 30 9 6 2 32 11 3 1 
			 Derbyshire 55 14 6 5 52 21 3 5 
			 Devon and Cornwall 72 22 12 9 36 13 8 4 
			 Dorset 33 11 7 3 43 18 10 1 
			 Durham 10 4 3 0 39 19 18 1 
			 Dyfed-Powys 6 5 1 2 22 9 6 1 
			 Essex 17 12 34  87 36 76 5 
			 Gloucestershire 12 10 4  23 16 15 2 
			 Greater Manchester 57 43 16 6 140 126 52 13 
			 Gwent 15 1 3 1 48 15 10 0 
			 Hampshire 101 35 34 4 109 68 47 6 
			 Hertfordshire 33 28 65 4 47 56 51 5 
			 Humberside 28 20 5 1 47 29 18 4 
			 Kent 78 37 47 2 86 72 66 3 
			 Lancashire 76 17 12 7 79 28 11 8 
			 Leicestershire 45 20 33 2 32 35 13 1 
			 Lincolnshire 32 10 5 0 33 16 9 3 
			 London, City of 16 19 11 3 26 12 18 0 
			 Merseyside 114 22 7 5 105 34 18 9 
			 Metropolitan Police 429 453 322 39 578 552 388 33 
			 Norfolk 48 9 6 1 32 10 5 2 
			 Northamptonshire 15 9 11 1 29 26 16 3 
			 Northumbria 78 35 12 6 97 29 20 9 
			 North Wales 21 7 0 0 23 22 3 0 
			 North Yorkshire 25 11 3 1 34 15 10 3 
			 Nottinghamshire 32 12 14 1 73 13 28 2 
			 South Wales 67 20 6 3 108 21 10 8 
			 South Yorkshire 72 36 13 4 101 46 13 2 
			 Staffordshire 19 7 3 2 55 27 9 8 
			 Suffolk 32 14 15 1 36 28 8 3 
			 Surrey 48 27 134 0 44 34 59 8 
			 Sussex 41 35 32 1 88 124 68 7 
			 Thames Valley 99 64 129 7 108 71 134 3 
			 Warwickshire 18 14 7 1 26 19 8 3 
			 West Mercia 59 18 9 2 61 27 19 6 
			 West Midlands 142 89 155 16 108 107 100 5 
			 West Yorkshire 124 34 14 7 101 46 19 12 
			 Wiltshire 36 18 11 4 28 18 14 3 
		
	
	
		
			   2004-05  2005-06( 7) 
			   Retirements  Resignations  Transfers  Other  Retirements  Resignations  Transfers  Other 
			 Avon and Somerset 112 40 20 5 106 77 36 4 
			 Bedfordshire 36 35 23 4 40 24 19 1 
			 Cambridgeshire 45 34 24 4 58 26 25 2 
			 Cheshire 70 26 8 6 92 37 42 3 
			 Cleveland 40 20 4 5 56 24 22 3 
			 Cumbria 24 15 5 1 31 11 22 2 
			 Derbyshire 73 20 12 3 96 20 20 3 
			 Devon and Cornwall 114 31 18 4 94 44 36 9 
			 Dorset 50 20 5 4 72 22 7 3 
			 Durham 46 19 9 5 50 15 33 2 
			 Dyfed-Powys 40 17 1 2 48 12 13 4 
			 Essex 123 66 53 2 99 79 67 10 
			 Gloucestershire 34 16 8 0 51 19 21 3 
			 Greater Manchester 179 128 42 9 211 186 70 24 
			 Gwent 52 17 12 2 48 20 7 4 
			 Hampshire 141 47 61 6 158 64 60 7 
			 Hertfordshire 50 54 45 4 54 55 52 6 
			 Humberside 65 36 11 2 84 31 34 6 
			 Kent 110 60 42 3 117 66 81 6 
			 Lancashire 111 42 15 4 117 26 57 10 
			 Leicestershire 65 36 14 5 78 45 32 4 
			 Lincolnshire 57 19 5 0 55 20 19 2 
			 London, City of 21 11 25 1 38 11 29 1 
			 Merseyside 149 38 27 11 170 83 13 12 
			 Metropolitan Police 629 422 257 52 727 337 475 49 
			 Norfolk 54 13 9 3 53 22 14 1 
			 Northamptonshire 44 30 19 1 44 24 20 3 
			 Northumbria 96 34 20 3 113 38 47 2 
			 North Wales 35 17 2 1 56 27 2 4 
			 North Yorkshire 52 18 7 0 66 17 15 3 
			 Nottinghamshire 88 25 24 1 99 14 43 2 
			 South Wales 101 18 4 7 117 29 34 3 
			 South Yorkshire 97 57 23 2 134 40 57 6 
			 Staffordshire 62 43 12 6 70 24 16 3 
			 Suffolk 27 26 17 4 50 14 21 5 
			 Surrey 52 32 72 3 64 37 65 5 
			 Sussex 95 113 46 2 91 82 39 6 
			 Thames Valley 125 100 84 3 119 131 66 10 
			 Warwickshire 34 15 11 3 39 12 18 4 
			 West Mercia 64 21 25 2 99 19 30 5 
			 West Midlands 207 119 81 29 234 137 105 12 
			 West Yorkshire 158 72 30 3 194 89 69 9 
			 Wiltshire 38 24 8 2 34 26 7 0 
			 (1) Includes transfers to other England and Wales forces but does not include officers leaving after a period of secondment. The other category includes those leaving the service due to dismissal or death. (2) Full-time equivalent figures that have been rounded to the nearest whole number. Because of rounding, there may be an apparent discrepancy between totals and the sums of the constituent items. (3) Financial year runs 1 April to 31 March inclusive. Data are not available prior to 2002-03. (4) Data have not been previously published in this format therefore totals may not match totals found in the published data. (5) Excludes quarter 1, data not available. (6) Excludes Essex and Gloucestershire, data not available. (7) Over 1,000 police officers previously working with the National Crime Squad (NCS) and the National Criminal Intelligence Squad (NCIS) left their home force to join the Serious Organised Crime Agency when it vested on 1 April 2006.

Police: Manpower

Simon Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to her written answer of 22 June 2007 (145928), on police in Chelmsford, how many full-time equivalent police officers in the Chelmsford basic command unit there were, including officers on career breaks or maternity/paternity leave on 31 March 1997.

Tony McNulty: holding answer 4 July 2007
	Police strength by police basic command unit was collected centrally for the first time for the period beginning April 2002; therefore the requested data are not available.

Police: Protective Clothing

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the EH20 Escape Hood, with particular reference to its use in a  (a) chemical,  (b) biological,  (c) radiological and  (d) nuclear incident; and if she will make a statement;
	(2)  what assessment she has made of the cost effectiveness of the EH20 Escape Hood; and if she will make a statement;
	(3)  what response she has made to the Police Federation's recommendation that EH20 Escape Hoods should be provided to every police officer;
	(4)  what guidance the Association of Chief Police Officers has issued to police forces on the EH20 Escape Hood and its use during times of heightened national security;
	(5)  what factors were taken into account in the decision to downgrade the EH20 Escape Hood from the list of personal protective equipment issued to all police officers;
	(6)  which police authorities have issued their police officers with EH20 Escape Hoods; and if he will make a statement;
	(7)  what discussions she has had with the chief constables of  (a) the Metropolitan police,  (b) Greater Manchester police,  (c) North Yorkshire police,  (d) South Yorkshire police,  (e) West Yorkshire police and  (f) West Midlands police on the purchasing of the EH20 Escape Hood; and if he will make a statement.

Tony McNulty: The Association of Chief Police Officers has drawn to the attention of each force the availability of the EH20 Escape Hood although the purchase and issuing of police equipment is a matter for each individual chief constable.
	The contract to manufacture the EH20 Escape Hood was awarded following a competitive tender process which included value for money considerations.
	Information on the specific purchases for each police force is not publicised for security reasons.

Police: Recruitment

Shailesh Vara: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police officers were recruited by each police force area in each year since 2001.

Tony McNulty: The available data are from 2002-03 onwards and are given in the following table.
	Details on the number of police officer joiners (including those officers transferring from other forces but not those returning after a period of secondment) are published in the Home Office Statistical Bulletin series Police Service Strength, England and Wales. The latest available bulletin is available for download from:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs06/hosb1306.pdf
	
		
			  Police officer recruits( 1)  to police forces from 2002-03 to 2005-06( 2)  (FTE)( 3) 
			   2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06 
			 Avon and Somerset 40 198 93 123 
			 Bedfordshire 89 178 106 67 
			 Cambridgeshire 76 107 99 104 
			 Cheshire 141 153 105 121 
			 Cleveland 129 138 83 114 
			 Cumbria 63 113 51 55 
			 Derbyshire 146 146 64 66 
			 Devon and Cornwall 138 131 200 255 
			 Dorset 72 86 76 102 
			 Durham 21 104 79 71 
			 Essex 40 225 276 224 
			 Gloucestershire 53 98 60 70 
			 Greater Manchester 113 978 233 277 
			 Hampshire 267 282 204 244 
			 Hertfordshire 202 279 155 173 
			 Humberside 56 188 126 93 
			 Kent 192 290 193 209 
			 Lancashire 240 311 148 196 
			 Leicestershire 116 245 123 96 
			 Lincolnshire 64 44 59 59 
			 London, City of 44 52 39 41 
			 Merseyside 101 192 389 161 
			 Metropolitan Police 2,434 2,971 1,886 1,050 
			 Norfolk 71 56 77 55 
			 Northamptonshire 45 99 109 115 
			 Northumbria 151 197 159 122 
			 North Yorkshire 99 82 71 110 
			 Nottinghamshire 89 138 138 54 
			 South Yorkshire 103 261 205 148 
			 Staffordshire 27 123 108 81 
			 Suffolk 81 113 37 45 
			 Surrey 92 116 130 124 
			 Sussex 139 320 229 236 
			 Thames Valley 306 479 361 374 
			 Warwickshire 57 51 59 69 
			 West Mercia 235 88 90 88 
			 West Midlands 478 408 476 442 
			 West Yorkshire 277 337 566 176 
			 Wiltshire 62 120 70 50 
			 Dyfed-Powys 7 53 35 54 
			 Gwent 45 78 102 80 
			 North Wales 77 66 71 51 
			 South Wales 180 173 118 122 
			 (1) Recruits included those officers joining as police standard direct recruits and those who were previously special constables. This excludes police officers on transfers from other forces and those rejoining. (2) Financial year runs 1 April to 31 March inclusive. Data are not available prior to 2002-03. (3) Full-time equivalent figures that have been rounded to the nearest whole number. Because of rounding, there may be an apparent discrepancy between totals and the sums of the constituent items.

Police: Sports

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will take steps to encourage police officers to join police sports teams in order to enhance physical fitness levels; how many police forces currently have sports teams; and if he will make a statement.

Tony McNulty: Responsibility for the physical fitness of serving police officers and force sports teams lies with the chief officer of each force. Information on police force sports teams is not held centrally.

Police: Training

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which police authorities are equipped with Hydra suites for the training of police officers; what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of police Hydra suites; what plans she has to encourage police authorities to build more Hydra suites; and if she will make a statement.

Tony McNulty: The following police authorities are equipped with Hydra suites for the training of police officers:
	Metropolitan Police Service (three suites)
	National Policing Improvement Agency (3 suites)
	Serious Organised Crime Agency
	Scottish Police College, Tulliallan
	Avon and Somerset police
	Greater Manchester police
	Hertfordshire constabulary
	Kent constabulary
	Merseyside police
	Police Service of Northern Ireland (two suites)
	South Wales police (three suites)
	West Midlands police
	West Yorkshire police
	The Hydra suite and methodology is also being used internationally by a number of other organisations:
	Justice Institute of British Columbia, Canada.
	Royal Canadian mounted police currently located in Ottawa. Joint plans are being made for training to be extended to manage the winter Olympics 2010, G8 Conference, Papal visit and other major events in the next few years with both agencies.
	Paramata, New South Wales, Australia. This was initially built and used to train police commanders and other agencies to prepare their officers to manage the 2000 Olympic games in Sydney. It is currently being used for leadership programmes, domestic and terrorist related hostage negotiation and counter terrorism preparedness.
	The methodology has been grown over the last 20 years and has built on research findings through debriefing of such incidents as community confidence following the murder of Stephen Lawrence, outcomes from the foot and mouth epidemic, the international response to the tsunami, multi agency management of counter terrorism related to 9/11, the London bombings, Sharm el Sheikh and Bali bombings as well as the Olympic games in Sydney 2000, the Commonwealth games in Manchester and the G8 summit in Canada.
	The Association of Chief Police Officers Terrorism and Applied Matters Committee (ACPO TAM) has commissioned a number of reports on the effectiveness of Hydra, for example a report entitled a Review of Counter Terrorism Exercises in the UK has 13 references to hydra as examples of good practice.
	An HMIC report into the UK state of readiness for counter terrorism states Hydra and its associated 10kv debriefing as the way forward for capacity building. There are various HMIC thematic inspections around critical incident management throughout the country that refer to the effectiveness of those forces who are using Hydra.
	The Hydra methodology prohibits the use of hydra to directly assess the performance of delegates; this allows the statement Safe Learning environment to have real integrity. However there are triangulated methods for assessments that are built into the programs that surround Hydra events that enable individual assessments to be made.
	The National Policing Improvement Agency is planning a new suite at Harperley Hall, Durham; HMRC are building a Hydra suite and have appointed a suite manager; Ministry of Defence police are planning a suite at Wethersfield, Essex.
	With the regional spread of Hydra suites there is not a direct need for small forces to create their own establishments and with the NPIA plans for Harperley Hall in Durham, consideration should now be given to plugging any holes in the regional map.

Police: Training

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  which police forces are participating in the Employer Supported Learning scheme; and in which towns the scheme is operating;
	(2)  how many people have been recruited to the Special Constabulary through the Employer Supported Learning scheme; and if she will make a statement.

Tony McNulty: Responsibility for the policy development within the Special Constabulary now resides with the NPIA.
	I understand from the CEO of the NPIA, that the following forces are currently participating in Employer Support programmes:
	Metropolitan Police
	Hampshire
	Kent
	Suffolk
	Greater Manchester
	South Wales
	Bedfordshire
	Cambridgeshire
	Dorset
	Data on the towns in which Employer Support programmes are operating and the number of Special Constables recruited from these programmes is not held centrally.

Police: Unitary Councils

Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the impact of the creation of new unitary councils on co-terminosity of police basic command units and local authority boundaries.

Tony McNulty: The boundaries of basic command units are administrative boundaries determined by chief constables who take into account the boundaries of local authorities in drawing them up. The consultation process should take in to account views of the local police force and authority on the impact of re-structuring proposals.

Police: Unitary Councils

Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what his policy is on the co-terminosity of boundaries between police forces and local government structures.

Tony McNulty: Current policy maintains that there should only be consequential changes to force boundaries as a result of local government reorganisation. There are no proposals being consulted on that cross police force borders.

Police: Unitary Councils

Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the impact of the bids of local authorities shortlisted for unitary status on policing in those areas.

Tony McNulty: The Home Office has been fully engaged in the local government restructuring process including emphasising the importance of consulting local police and police authorities so that the local impact of the proposals is fully considered. Police authorities and police forces, along with a range of public bodies, have been able to submit their views as part of the consultation.

Police: Unitary Councils

Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what discussions he had with the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government on the local authorities seeking unitary status which appeared on the shortlist published by the Department for Communities and Local Government on 27 March 2006.

Tony McNulty: The decision as to which proposals should proceed to stakeholder consultation reflected the collective decision of Government. All the 26 unitary proposals that were received in response to the invitation issued on 26 October 2006 were assessed against the five criteria set out in that invitation. The 16 unitary proposals that have been subject to the stakeholder consultation will now be reassessed against the same five criteria having regard to all the information available including that received in response the consultation.

Animal Experiments

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps her Department has taken in response to the recommendations of the  (a) 2002 House of Lords Select Committee Report on Animals in Scientific Procedures,  (b) Animals Procedures Committee (APC) 2001 Report on Openness,  (c) the APC's 2003 review of Cost-benefit Assessment in the Use of Animals in Research and  (d) the APC's 2005 Report on the Statistics of Scientific Procedures on Living Animals in Scientific Procedures; and if she will make a statement.

Meg Hillier: Our response to the report of the House of Lord Select Committee on animals in scientific procedures was published in January 2003 (CM 5729) and our responses to the Animal Procedures Committee (APC) reports on openness and the cost benefit assessment have been published in the APC annual reports for 2001 and 2005, respectively. These documents are available in the House Library. We responded to the APC statistics report in January 2006 and a copy of that response is available on the Committee's website.
	The main steps we have taken in the light of these reports have been as follows. We have:
	established a national centre for the replacement, refinement and reduction of animals in research (the NCSRs);
	reviewed section 24 of the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986, the so-called confidentiality clause, and concluded that it should be should be retained and reviewed again when we have seen the full effect of the safeguards provided by the Freedom of Information Act 2000;
	since January 2005, published the details of over 800 project licences granted under the 1986 Act on the Home Office website;
	begun publishing an Animals (Scientific Procedures) Inspectorate annual report and placed copies of the first two reports, for 2004 and 2005, in the House Library;
	made presentational changes to the Statistics of Scientific Procedures on Living Animals Great Britain 2005 to make them more reader-friendly;
	identified further presentational changes to be made to the Statistics of Scientific Procedures on Living Animals Great Britain 2006 to be published shortly; and
	through our on going contacts, worked with the NCSRs and others to identify areas of animal use in which specific gains in the reduction, replacement and refinement of animal procedures might be achievable in the future.
	Other changes to the annual statistics publication will be considered later taking account of the recommendations of the Davidson Review of the transposition of European legislation in the United Kingdom and relevant issues raised by the proposed revision of European Directive 86/609/EEC, which the 1986 Act transposes into United Kingdom legislation. Some further information relevant to the cost benefit assessment will also be published when a current judicial review, the outcome of which may be relevant, has been completed.

Animal Experiments

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the cost was of  (a) producing and  (b) publishing the Animals Procedures Committee's (i) 2001 report on openness, (ii) 2003 cost-benefit assessment on the use of animals in research and (iii) 2005 report on the statistics of scientific procedures on living animals; and if she will make a statement.

Meg Hillier: The Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 (the Act) requires the licensing of any experiment or other scientific procedure carried out on living, protected animals which may cause them pain, suffering, distress or lasting harm. The Animal Procedures Committee (APC) is established under section 19 of the Act to provide the Home Secretary and the Northern Ireland Secretary with independent advice about the Act and their functions under it.
	For the financial year 2001-02 the Home Office was allocated in the region of 8,000 for the production of APC reports and related services. In that year the APC produced three reports, its Annual Report and reports on Biotechnology and Openness. For financial year 2003-04, 8,000 was allocated to the Home Office for production of reports, in that year the APC produced its Annual Report and a report on Cost Benefit Assessment. It should be noted that costs are not separately identifiable for the production and publication of such reports.
	The Home Office Animals Scientific Procedures Division were charged 1,973 for the printing of forms, and 2,141 for publication of the 2005 Report on the Statistics of Scientific Procedures on living animals, totalling 4,114. The cost of internal resources allocated to producing this report is not separately identifiable.

Asylum

Nicholas Clegg: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many asylum legacy cases have been resolved since the establishment of the dedicated directorate within the Border and Immigration Agency.

Jacqui Smith: Lin Homer, the chief executive of the Border and Immigration Agency, wrote to the chair of the Home Affairs Select Committee on 19 February 2007 about the legacy programme. She explained that once reports can be produced on the programme in which Parliament and the wider public can have suitable confidence, Parliament will be updated accordingly. A copy of this letter has been placed in the Library of the House.

Asylum: Children

Anthony Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many children who had applied for asylum in the UK and had their application refused were deported in each of the last five years.

Liam Byrne: The available data are given in the table.
	Information on the age of persons removed from the UK has only been available since the start of 2004. It is not possible to say what stage in the asylum process people have reached at the time of their removal (e.g. whether their application had been refused), as those departing voluntarily can do so at any stage.
	Information on asylum removals is published quarterly and annually. Copies of these publications are available from the Library of the House and from the Home Office Research, Development and Statistics website at:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/immigration1.html.
	
		
			  Removals, voluntary departures( 1) , assisted returns of asylum applicants, including dependants, aged under 18( 2) , 2004 to 2006( 3) 
			   2004  2005  2006( 4) 
			 Total removed 1,900 1,640 1,640 
			 (1) Includes enforced removals, persons departing 'voluntarily' following enforcement action initiated against them, persons leaving under Assisted Voluntary Return Programmes run by the International Organization for Migration and those who it is established have left the UK without informing the immigration authorities (from 2005). (2) Age at time of removal. This figure may overstate because some applicants aged 18 or over may claim to be younger on their date of removal from the UK. (3) Figures rounded to the nearest five. (4) Provisional figures.

Asylum: Iraq

Anthony Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans she has to deport failed Iraqi asylum seekers living in Plymouth; how many were deported in each of the last two years; and if she will make a statement.

Liam Byrne: Each asylum and human rights application made by an Iraqi national is, as with all other nationalities, considered individually against the background of current information from a wide range of well-recognised sources about the situation in Iraq. Those who are found not to be in need of any international protection and have no legal basis of stay in the UK may return voluntarily to any region of Iraq. Where an individual does not return voluntarily, removal may be enforced. Enforced removals will only be undertaken where we are satisfied the individual has no protection needs. Removal statistics are available in the following table.
	
		
			  Removals, voluntary departures and assisted returns( 1)  of asylum applicants, including dependants, nationals of Iraq, in 2005 and 2006( 2,3) 
			  Number of principal applicants 
			  Quarter  2005  2006 
			 Total principal asylum applicants removed(4) 1,080 1,830 
			 of whom: removed to Iraq 795 1,640 
			 of whom: removed to other and destination unknown 285 190 
			
			 Persons removed and voluntary departures(5,6) 320 240 
			 of whom: removed to Iraq 45 65 
			 of whom: removed to other and destination unknown 275 175 
			
			 Persons leaving under Assisted Voluntary Return Programmes(7) 760 1,590 
			 of whom: removed to Iraq 750 1,575 
			 of whom: removed to other and destination unknown 10 15 
			 (1) Includes enforced removals, persons departing 'voluntarily1 after enforcement action had been initiated against them, persons leaving under Assisted Voluntary Return Programmes run by the International Organization for Migration and those who it is established have left the UK without informing the immigration authorities. (2) Figures rounded to the nearest five, with  = 0, * = 1 or 2, and may not sum due to rounding. (3) Provisional figures. (4) Persons who had sought asylum at some stage, excluding dependants. (5) Includes persons departing 'voluntarily' after enforcement action had been initiated against them and those who it is established have the UK without informing the immigration authorities. (6) Excludes Assisted Voluntary Returns. (7) Persons leaving under Assisted Voluntary Return Programmes run by the International Organization for Migration. May include some cases where enforcement action has been initiated.

Counter-terrorism

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what representations she has received on the contents of her oral statement of 7 June 2007,  Official Report, columns 421-37 on counter-terrorism; and what response she has made to those representations.

Tony McNulty: We have received a small number of representations from members of the public since the statement of 7 June by the previous Home Secretary my right hon. Friend the Member for Airdrie and Shotts (John Reid).

Crime Prevention: Finance

Jim Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what grants were provided to the  (a) Crime Reduction Partnership in Newcastle,  (b) Newcastle city council and  (c) the Newcastle Local Strategic Partnership in respect of safety and policing in each year from 2003-04 to 2007-08.

Vernon Coaker: Grant allocations made to Newcastle city council and available to the Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnership (CDRP) in each year since
	2003-04 are set out as follows:
	
		
			   Building Safer Communities and ASB Co-ordinators Grant ()  Safer and Stronger Communities Fund () 
			 2003-04 353,000  
			 2004-05 385,875  
			 2005-06  457,225 
			 2006-07  457,225 
			 2007-08  1,726,483 
		
	
	Since 2005-06, the Building Safer Communities Fund and the Antisocial Behaviour Co-ordinators Grant have formed part of the Safer and Stronger Communities Fund. This is a pooled budget which consolidates a growing number of specific grants contributions from the Home Office and the Department for Communities and Local Government, and forms a funding block to support the delivery of Local Area Agreements (LAAs). As a round three LAA, Newcastle city council and its partners are able to use this grant flexibly to deliver a wide range of outcomes, including reductions in crime, antisocial behaviour and the harms caused by drugs. The 2007-08 figures are not directly comparable with previous years because the pooled budget now includes a larger number of funding streams.
	These figures exclude any funding allocated to the CDRP that has been targeted at certain areas, such as the Street Crime Initiative and the Tackling Violent Crime Programme, and any discretionary allocations made by the regional director. This data is not held centrally or would be available only at disproportionate cost.

Crime: Offensive Weapons

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many knife crimes were recorded in each police authority area in each of the last five years for which figures are published.

Vernon Coaker: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to my hon. Friend the Member for Jarrow (Mr. Hepburn) on 23 April 2007,  Official Report, column 977W.

Criminal Investigation

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what guidance her Department provides to police on limiting access of the media to information on the removal of material as evidence during the evidence-gathering phase of a police investigation to protect the rights of an accused person.

Tony McNulty: The control and management of information during a police investigation is an operational matter for the chief officer of the force concerned. Guidance is provided by the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) Media Advisory Group to the police on working with the media and releasing information about individual cases. The guidance can be found at:
	http://www.acpo.police.uk/asp/policies/Data/magguidelines.pdf.

Databases: Genetics

Stephen Crabb: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent estimate she has made of the number of people whose DNA is held on the national database who have committed no offence.

Meg Hillier: The National DNA Database does not hold information on whether those on it have committed any offence. This is held on the Police National Computer but detailed cross-referencing between the two systems is not routinely available. Discussions are being held on being able to provide this information routinely in future.

Departments: Consultants

Michael Meacher: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much her Department spent on  (a) management consultants and  (b) other external consultants and advisers in each year since establishment; and which of these consultants undertook work for the Department with a total contractual value in excess of 10 million.

Liam Byrne: Following the NAO report Purchasing Professional Services OGC issued guidance that re-defined consultancy to include the purchasing of all professional services and not just management consultancy. Professional services were defined as including: management consultancy, IS/IT consultancy, financial/accounting consultancy, property and construction consultancy (including architects and surveyors), project management, procurement, audit, legal services and human resource advice and assistance (including recruitment services).
	We do not hold complete records for this entire period and therefore are unable to reliably identify those companies who have individual pieces of consultancy worth in excess of 10 million but from those records we do have we haven't identified any worth in excess of 10 million.
	The information held by the Home Office and its Executive Agencies on its spend on consultants, which falls under the aforementioned definition; is as follows:
	
		
			  Financial year  Total spend on consultants ()  Additional information 
			 2000-01 31,196,722  
			 2001-02 24,840,593  
			 2002-03 Not held  
			 2003-04 113,875,847  
			 2004-05 59,828,639  
			 2005-06 167,000,000 (Includes contractors and Interim Managers) and excludes spend by Her Majesty's Prison Service (HMPS) National Offender Management Services (NOMS) and Office for Criminal Justice Reform (OCJR). 
			 2006-07 157,000,000 (Includes contractors and Interim Managers) and excludes spend by HMPS, NOMS and OCJR. 
		
	
	For the years 2000-01 to 2006-07, other than where indicated, we are unable to abstract data relating to those areas of responsibility for the Department and its Agencies which have since been transferred to other Government Departments or Agencies under machinery of government changes.
	We do not hold information on the Department's total expenditure on consultants for 2002-03 and to obtain this information would incur disproportionate cost.
	The best information available for the financial year 2003-04, using the Business and Accounting Strategic System (BASS) for the core Home Office spend, indicates that the cost of external consultants to the Department and its Executive Agencies in 2003-04 was 113,875,847.
	The best information available for the financial year 2004-05, using the Adelphi Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system Accounts Payable Module for the core Home Office spend, indicates that the cost of external consultants to the Department and its Executive Agencies was 59,828,639.
	The Department awards contracts in open competition according to the EU Procurement Regulations based on best value for money. The use of external consultants in the Home Office provides the Department with specialist knowledge, skill, capacity and technical expertise that is not otherwise available in house.

Departments: Consultants

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which external consultants have carried out work for her Department under contracts in each year since 1997.

Liam Byrne: We do not hold central records of the names of individual external consultants who have carried out work for the Department under contracts in each year since 1997 and to obtain this information would incur disproportionate cost.
	The Department's Enterprise and Resource Planning (ERP) system is able to identify the names of consultancy companies who have undertaken contracts for Home Office headquarters since May 2004.

Departments: Missing Persons

Helen Southworth: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether  (a) she and  (b) Ministers or officials from her Department attended the meeting of the National Missing Persons Strategic Oversight Group on 27 June; what steps her Department is taking following the meeting; when she expects the next meeting to take place; whether she expects to attend the next meeting; and if she will make a statement.

Tony McNulty: Home Office officials attended the last meeting of the National Missing Persons Strategic Oversight Group on 27 June 2007. The Group was formally informed of the proposed transfer of work, including the secretariat function of the Group, to the National Policing Improvement Agency (NPIA) by September 2007. The transfer of policy responsibility is part of the wider programme of enhancement and integration of the work of the Police National Missing Persons Bureau into the NPIA by April 2008. The aim is to provide a fully coordinated approach to missing persons within the police service and to ensure that there is effective working together on this issue with stakeholders at national and local level. The next meeting of the Group is anticipated for October 2007.

Departments: Pay

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many non-pensionable bonuses were awarded to members of staff in her Department in the last three years; and at what total cost.

Liam Byrne: I refer the hon. Member to my reply of 26 June 2007,  Official Report, column 714W.

Departments: Pensions

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many and what percentage of staff in her Department are making additional voluntary contributions to their pensions; and what steps she has taken in the last 12 months to encourage more people to make such contributions.

Liam Byrne: Of those staff paid by Home Office Pay Service, a total of 470 staff currently contribute to additional voluntary contribution (AVC) schemes. This represents 0.55 per cent. of employees. The figures cover the core Department, all agencies, all NDPBs and all other public bodies currently on the payroll and includes HM Prison Service.
	Civil service pension scheme members receive an annual benefit statement showing the pension accrued to date, and also a projection of pension on retirement if the member continues in service to scheme pension age. The benefit statement provides details of the civil service pensions website where staff can obtain further information, including options for making additional voluntary contributions to boost their pension.
	Home Office Pensions Service sends out information to new staff or those who rejoin the pension scheme. This includes a leaflet setting out the principles of AVC schemes.
	Individual employers within the Home Office may also provide information on the availability of AVCs. Staff in the core Department and the Border and Immigration Agency can access an intranet service which includes pension scheme information and includes links to the civil service pensions website.

Departments: Public Transport

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate her Department has made of the number of its staff using public transport to commute.

Liam Byrne: In its adherence to the June 2006 sustainable operations targets the Home Office is committed to deliver carbon savings by reducing carbon emissions from road vehicles used for Government administrative operations. The Home Office also has an ongoing programme of environmental awareness raising that encourages our staff to minimise the impacts of their travel activities, including the provision of interest free loans for cycle purchases. No estimates on staff using public transport to commute are maintained centrally.

Departments: Publications

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the cost to his Department was of the unfinished research paper Review of Current Business Crime Research.

Jacqui Smith: The research review of Business Crime research was undertaken in November 2003. It was used internally but not placed into a final published report although it has now been released under the Freedom of Information Act. The cost of the research was 6,350.

Departments: Publications

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the cost to his Department was of the unpublished research paper Evaluation of the ACU Mentoring Programme.

Jacqui Smith: The research into the ACU Mentoring Programme was undertaken between April 2003 and March 2004. It was used internally but not placed into a final published report although it has now been released under the Freedom of Information Act. The cost of the research is estimated to have been 100,000.

Detainees: Transport

Nicholas Clegg: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 18 June 2007,  Official Report, column 1508W, on detainees: transport, how much was spent on in-country escorts for immigration detainees in each of the last five years.

Jacqui Smith: The total spent on in-country escorts for immigration detainees in each of the last five years is detailed in the following table. The expenditure covers all in-country escorting activity, not just between removal centres, and includes the operating costs for holding rooms, which form part of the overall in-country escorting contract. The rising costs reflect the greater escorting activity arising from increased removals activity over the last few years.
	
		
			
			 2006-07 26,346,498 
			 2005-06 26,130,498 
			 2004-05 16,534,992 
			 2003-04 14,229,000 
			 2002-03 19,337,835

Drugs: Misuse

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  what steps her Department is taking to investigate misuse of Ritalin and other methylphenidate-based drugs for recreational purposes;
	(2)  what discussions she has had with her colleagues in the Department of Health on the use of Ritalin as a recreational drug.

Vernon Coaker: There have been no steps or discussions as the Home Office has no evidence, other than anecdotal, to suggest that Ritalin is being misused for recreational purposes.

Firearms: Crime Prevention

Nick Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people are employed on Operation Trident; what assessment she has made of the merits of rolling out the programme to other large metropolitan cities; and if she will make a statement.

Vernon Coaker: The Metropolitan police advise that the total number of people employed on Operation Trident is 375, which includes police staff as well as police officers.
	We fully support the work of intelligence-led police operations such as Operation Trident and other operations to tackle guns and gangs.
	Similar operations have been established in other areas affected by gun crimefor example, Operation XCaliber in Greater Manchester.

Immigration Controls

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether fast track immigration controls apply to individuals travelling by helicopters and private aircraft.

Liam Byrne: Fast track immigration facilities are currently only provided at Heathrow Terminals 1, 3 and 4 at the request of airlines and the airport operator, BAA . It is not therefore available to individuals arriving by helicopters and private aircraft.

Immigration Controls: Uniforms

Nicholas Clegg: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what formal consultation process was undertaken before deciding on  (a) the need for a new uniform and  (b) the design of the uniform for border security staff.

Jacqui Smith: The IND Review set out seven programmes for change. Programme seven states that we will
	'Introduce a new visible presence and uniforms at our borders to strengthen deterrence and reassure the public'.
	The design of the uniform was informed by a programme of consultation including staff focus groups. Staff representative groups and trade unions have also been fully consulted since the project began. The design took into account staff working conditions, views from staff representative groups and uniforms of like organisations.

Immigration Controls: Uniforms

Nicholas Clegg: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when the Border and Immigration Agency last changed its uniform.

Jacqui Smith: Frontline Border Control staff within the Border and Immigration Agency will be uniformed for the first time by the end of September 2007.

Members: Correspondence

David Winnick: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when she expects to reply to the letter of 30 May from the hon. Member for Walsall North (ref M11832/7).

Liam Byrne: holding answer 5 July 2007
	I wrote to my right hon. Friend on 4 July 2007.

Members: Correspondence

David Winnick: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when she expects to reply to the letter of 30 May from the hon. Member for Walsall North (ref M11719/7).

Liam Byrne: holding answer 5 July 2007
	I wrote to my right hon. Friend on 4 July 2007.

Members: Correspondence

Humfrey Malins: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when she expects to reply to the letter dated 29 May 2007 from the hon. Member for Woking on Mrs. A. Day, ref. B14852/7.

Liam Byrne: holding answer 5 July 2007
	The Border and Immigration Agency wrote to the hon. Member on 2 July 2007.

Members: Correspondence

Humfrey Malins: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when she expects to reply to letters from the hon. Member for Woking dated 26 February, 30 March and 8 June concerning Mr. Lika, ref LR1918010943/1.

Liam Byrne: holding answer 5 July 2007
	I wrote to the hon. Member on 4 July explaining the details of this case.

National Policing Improvement Agency

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 14 June 2007,  Official Report, column 1236W, on the National Policing Improvement Agency, when he expects the Chief Executive of the National Policing Improvement Agency to produce his first report on performance and issues facing the agency; how many times the Chief Executive will produce such reports per year; and whether each report will be published.

Tony McNulty: The first report by the Chief Executive of NPIA to ministers on performance and issues facing the agency will be submitted in mid July 2007. The report will be submitted to Ministers on a quarterly basis and will not be a published document. The Chief Executive will produce an annual report published to Parliament soon after April 2008.

Nationality, Immigration and Asylum (Treatment of Claimants, etc) Act 2004

Nicholas Clegg: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when she expects to publish the Pilot Evaluation Report on the operation of section 9 of the Nationality, Immigration and Asylum (Treatment of Claimants, etc.) Act 2004.

Jacqui Smith: The evaluation of the section 9 pilot was published on 25 June 2007 and is available on the Border and Immigration Agency website,
	http://www.bia.homeoffice.gov.uk/6353/aboutus/familyasylum.
	A written ministerial statement detailing future implementation of the section 9 provision was also published on 25 June 2007,  Official Report, column 9WS.

Northumbria Police: Manpower

Fraser Kemp: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many  (a) police officers and  (b) community support officers there were in the Northumbria police force area in each of the last 10 years.

Tony McNulty: The information is shown in the following tables.
	
		
			  Police officer strength( 1)  (FTE)( 2)  as at 31 March 1996 to 31 March 2006Northumbria police force 
			   Number 
			  As at 31 March:  
			 1996 3,668 
			 1997 3,677 
			 1998 3,769 
			 1999 3,840 
			 2000 3,788 
			 2001 3,857 
			 2002 3,929 
			 2003 3,943 
			 2004 4,040 
			 2005 4,048 
			 2006 3,983 
			 (1 )This table contains full-time equivalent figures that have been rounded to the nearest whole number. Because of rounding, there may be an apparent discrepancy between totals and the sums of the constituent items.  (2) Full-time equivalent excludes those on career breaks or maternity/paternity leave. 
		
	
	
		
			  Police community support officer strength( 1)  (FTE)( 2)  as at 31 March 2003 to 31 March 2006( 3) Northumbria police force 
			   Number 
			  As at 31 March:  
			 2003 0 
			 2004 51 
			 2005(4) 126 
			 2006(5) 129 
			 (1 )This table contains full-time equivalent figures that have been rounded to the nearest whole number. Because of rounding, there may be an apparent discrepancy between totals and the sums of the constituent items.  (2) Full-time equivalent excludes those on career breaks or maternity/paternity leave.  (3) Police community support officers were introduced in statute in 2002, therefore data is not available prior to 2002-03.  (4 )Strength figures as at 31 March 2005 onwards include those staff on career breaks or maternity/paternity leave. Therefore these figures are not comparable with those provided for other years in the table.

Offensive Weapons: Greater London

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many  (a) fatalities and  (b) serious injuries were caused by knife attacks in each London borough in (i) 2007 and (ii) each of the last three years; and if she will make a statement on the steps being taken to reduce knife crime, with particular reference to its prevalence among the young.

Vernon Coaker: holding answer 4 July 2007
	Data for the number of fatalities caused by knives and sharp instruments is not available at borough level. The following table gives figures for the Metropolitan and City of London police force areas. Figures for the number of serious injuries caused by knife attacks are not currently available. However, new data collection arrangements from April 2007 will provide more detailed statistics on knife related violence. The British Crime Survey reports that knife crime as a proportion of all violent crime is broadly stable at 6-7 per cent.
	There is, of course, grave concern at the recent tragic incidents involving young people and knife crime. Work on tackling knife crime is being taken forward through the Home Secretary's round table on guns, knives and gangs, which has developed an action plan focussing on the themes of policing, powers and prevention. Legislation has recently been tightened in relation to knives, with the doubling of the maximum sentence for possession of a bladed instrument in a public place without good reason from two to four years. In April, a new offence of using someone to mind a weapon (including a knife) was introduced; and in May school staff were given powers to search pupils for knives.
	On 26 June, in conjunction with the Association of Chief Police Officers, we published guidance on tackling knife enabled crime, to provide police officers with a menu of options which they might use in their area. We also support police work to tackle knife crime such as Operation Blunt, run by the Metropolitan police, and Operation Shield, run by the British Transport Police, which uses search arches and other technology to search people travelling on the transport network with weapons.
	We recognise that policing and legislation are only part of the picture, however, and are also supporting educational projects such as the Be Safe programme, which helps young people understand the risks and consequences of carrying knives, and the Damilola Taylor Trust's Respect Your Life, Not a Knife campaign, which is encouraging young people to pledge not to carry weapons. We are also supporting local community organisations working to tackle knife crime through our Connected Fund. The sixth round of the fund was recently completed, and funding is now being provided to more than 100 projects in England and Wales to support local work.
	
		
			  Offences currently( 1)  recorded as homicide where apparent method of killing is sharp instrument( 2) : London 2003-04 to 2005-06 
			   All ages  Victim aged under 16 
			  Year( 3)  MPS  City of London  MPS  City of London 
			 2003-04 61 0 1 0 
			 2004-05 60 0 1 0 
			 2005-06 48 0 0 0 
			 Total 169 0 2 0 
			 (1) As at 9 October 2006; figures are subject to revision as cases are dealt with by the police and by the courts, or as further information becomes available.  (2) All sharp instruments, including knives.  (3) Homicides are shown according to the year in which the police initially recorded the offence as homicide. This is not necessarily the year in which the incident took place or the year in which any court decision was made.

Security: Heathrow Airport

Nicholas Clegg: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when she expects to publish the evaluation of the miSense scheme.

Jacqui Smith: The summary of the evaluation of the miSense schemes was published on line on 19 June (visit www.misense.org) and copies are now available in the House of Commons Library.

Sexual Offences: Wales

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many registered sex offenders in Wales are recorded as not living at their registered address.

Vernon Coaker: The police are not required to report this information to the Home Office.

Sexual Offences: Wales

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many sex offenders are registered in Wales, broken down by police force area.

Vernon Coaker: The Multi-Agency Public Protection Arrangements (MAPPA) annual reports for 2005-06 show that, on 31 March 2006, the total number of registered sex offenders in each police force area in Wales were as follows:
	
		
			   Number 
			 Dyfed-Powys 308 
			 Gwent 391 
			 North Wales 395 
			 South Wales 680

Sexual Offences: Wales

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many registered sex offenders are being monitored by police in Wales, broken down by police force.

Vernon Coaker: All registered sex offenders are monitored, under the Multi-Agency Public Protection Arrangements (MAPPA), in line with individual risk management plans.
	The MAPPA annual reports for 2005-06 show that, on 31 March 2006, the total number of registered sex offenders in each police force area in Wales were as follows:
	
		
			   Number 
			 Dyfed-Powys 308 
			 Gwent 391 
			 North Wales 395 
			 South Wales 680

Stop and Search: Vehicles

Nicholas Clegg: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Yeovil, on 18 June 2007,  Official Report, columns 1518-22W, on stop and search: vehicles, how many searches in each category resulted in an arrest.

Jacqui Smith: The latest available information on the number of arrests resulting from search of a vehicle only is given in the table from 1998-99 to 2004-05.
	
		
			  Resultant arrests following total searches( 1)  of vehicles( 2)  and searches of vehicles under section 44(1) of the Terrorism Act 2000( 3) , by police force area in England, 1999-2000 to 2004-05 
			   Resultant arrests of a vehicle only search 
			  Period/Police force area  Total  Under section 44(1) Terrorism Act 2000( 4) 
			  1998-99   
			 Avon and Somerset 6  
			 Durham 1 1 
			 West Mercia 2  
			 Wiltshire 2  
			 England 11 1 
			
			  1999-2000   
			 Metropolitan Police 1  
			 England 1  
			
			  2000-01   
			 Cheshire 2  
			 Hertfordshire 2  
			 Kent 1  
			 North Yorkshire 3 3 
			 England 8 3 
			
			  2001-02   
			 Greater Manchester 1  
			 England 1  
			
			  2002-03   
			 South Yorkshire 2 2 
			 West Yorkshire 2  
			 England 4 2 
			
			  2003-04   
			 Gloucestershire 52  
			 Greater Manchester 75  
			 North Yorkshire 1  
			 Staffordshire 10  
			 West Yorkshire 6  
			 England 144  
			
			  2004-05   
			 Bedfordshire 1  
			 Cambridgeshire 1 1 
			 Cheshire 172  
			 Greater Manchester 16  
			 Sussex 1 1 
			 England 191 2 
			 (1) Total searches includes searches: under section 1 of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984; Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 and the Firearms Act 1968; also included are other legislation which relates to searches under other powers, such as under the Prevention of Terrorism (Temporary Provisions) Act 1989 section 15 (which since 19 February 2001 has been replaced by section 43 of the Terrorism Act 2000); various poaching and wildlife conservation legislation; the Aviation Security Act 1982, section 27(1); the Customs and Excise Management Act 1979, s163 and 164; and the Sporting Events (control of Alcohol, etc.) Act 1985; section 60 of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994; and section 44(1) and 44(2) of the Terrorism Act 2000 (formerly section 13A and 13B of the Prevention of Terrorism (Temporary Provisions) Act 1989.  (2) Searches may be conducted on vehicles only, occupants only or both may be searched. Where a vehicle and driver occupier are searched simultaneously the search is recorded against the driver (occupant). Any other passengers searched are recorded as occupants. Data given in the table are where an arrest has resulted from a 'vehicle only' search.  (3) Police force areas where no resultant arrests were recorded have been excluded from the table.  (4) Section 44(1) of the Terrorism Act 2000 (formerly section 13A of the Prevention of Terrorism (Temporary Provisions) Act 1989.   Note: Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when these data are used.   Source:  Stops/Searches collection held by Office for Criminal Justice Reform.

Terrorism: Arrests

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people have been re-arrested for a terrorist-related offence having previously been released before the end of the 28 days maximum pre-charge detention period under the Terrorism Act 2000, broken down by  (a) year,  (b) gender,  (c) ethnicity and  (d) religion.

Tony McNulty: holding answer 2 July 2007
	The police have supplied the Home Office with detention, arrest and charge statistics under the Terrorism Act 2000 from 11 September 2001 to 31 March 2006. However, the police do not routinely collate the information in the format and breakdown requested and to do so would be at a disproportionate cost. The Home Office is reviewing the future collation and publication of terrorism statistics, the collation of information on re-arrests will also be considered.

Terrorism: Arrests

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people have been  (a) arrested,  (b) charged and  (c) convicted under the Terrorism Act 2000, broken down by (i) year, (ii) gender, (iii) ethnicity and (iv) religion.

Tony McNulty: holding answer 2 July 2007
	The Home Office does not break down the information in the format requested. However, statistics on the number of arrests under the Terrorism Act 2000 are available on the Home Office website as follows.
	The UK police terrorism arrest statistics (excluding Northern Ireland) from 11 September 2001 to 31 December 2006 show 1,166 arrests were made:
	1,126 arrests under the Terrorism Act 2000
	40 arrests under legislation other than the Terrorism Act, where the investigation was conducted as a terrorist investigation.
	Of the total 1,166 arrested:
	117 charged with terrorism legislation offences only
	104 charged with terrorism legislation offences and other criminal offences
	186 charged under other legislation including murder, grievous bodily harm, firearms, explosives offences, fraud, false documents
	74 handed over to immigration authorities
	3 on police bail awaiting charging decisions
	1 warrant issued for arrest
	12 cautioned
	1 dealt with under youth offending procedures
	10 dealt with under mental health legislation
	4 transferred to Police Service of Northern Ireland custody
	2 remanded in custody awaiting extradition proceedings
	652 released without charge.
	Of those charged:
	40 Terrorism Act convictions to date
	180 convicted under other legislation, including murder, grievous bodily harm, firearms, explosives offences, fraud, false documents
	98 at or awaiting trial
	4 at or awaiting trial for non-terrorism related offences only.
	 Source:
	These statistics are compiled from police records by the offices of the National Co-ordinator for Terrorist Investigations. They are subject to change as cases go through the system.

Terrorism: Arrests

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people arrested under the Terrorism Act 2000 have been charged  (a) within the first seven days,  (b) between days 8 and 14,  (c) between days 15 and 21 and  (d) between days 22 and 28.

Tony McNulty: holding answer 2 July 2007
	The Home Office does not collate statistics for all the timescales requested. The 14 day detention period came into effect on 20 January 2004 and the maximum period of detention pre-charge was extended to 28 days with effect from 25 July 2006. The following table compiled from police records, provides details of the numbers of individuals charged or released between 25 July 2006- 31 March 2007.
	
		
			  Terrorism Act pre-charge detention statistics(25 July 2006 to 31 March 2007) 
			  Period of detention  Number of persons held  Charged  Released without charge  Other result 
			 14 to 15 days 1 1   
			 15 to 16 days 
			 16 to 17 days 
			 17 to 18 days 
			 18 to 19 days 
			 19 to 20 days 3 3   
			 20 to 21 days 
			 21 to 22 days 
			 22 to 23 days 
			 23 to 24 days 
			 24 to 25 days 
			 25 to 26 days 
			 26 to 27 days 
			 27 to 28 days 6 3 3

Terrorism: Arrests

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many  (a) arrests,  (b) charges and  (c) convictions have been made for terrorist-related offences after a warrant had been executed under (i) the Terrorism Act 2000 and (ii) the Anti-Terrorism, Crime and Security Act 2001.

Tony McNulty: holding answer 2 July 2007
	The Home Office does not collate information in this way. Statistics on the number of charges, arrests and charges under the Terrorism Act 2000 and under other legislation are available on the Home Office website:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/security/terrorism-and-the-law/

Terrorism: Detainees

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people have been  (a) detained,  (b) released and  (c) charged within the first 28 days of arrest under the Terrorism Act 2000 in each year, broken down by (i) gender, (ii) ethnicity and (iii) religion.

Tony McNulty: In the period from 11 September 2001 to 31 December 2006 1,166 people were arrested under the Terrorism Act 2000 or under other legislation where the investigation had been conducted as a terrorist investigation.
	Of these 1,166 arrests, 652 were released without charge and 407 were charged with criminal offences including offences under terrorism legislation. A full breakdown of the terrorism legislation statistics can be found on the Home Office website at:
	www.homeoffice.gov.uk.
	The Home Office does not hold information on gender, ethnicity and religion of those arrested under the Terrorism Act 2000.

Terrorism: Detainees

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department in how many cases a suspect has been released before the end of the maximum 28 days pre-charge detention period under the Terrorism Act 2000 and then re-arrested following decryption of computer data or completion of other investigative work.

Tony McNulty: This data is not centrally collated or stored by the Home Office.

Terrorism: Detainees

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department in how many cases suspects detained under the Terrorism Act 2000 have been released because of insufficient time to decrypt heavily-encrypted computer data.

Tony McNulty: This data is not centrally collated or stored by the Home Office.

Terrorism: Russia

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent discussions her Department has had with the Russian Government on security strategies to deal with terrorist threats.

Tony McNulty: holding answer 2 July 2007
	Russia is a key ally in global efforts to overcome terrorism. To that end, we frequently discuss our perception of the current threats and our activity to counteract those threats with our Russian colleagues in international fora such as the United Nations and the G8, among others. The terrorist threat and strategies to counter the threat were key issues of discussion at the G8 JHA ministerial meeting in Munich in May, when the then Attorney-General, Lord Goldsmith and I represented the UK. My right hon. Friend, the Member for Sedgefield (Mr. Blair) also attended the G8 Heiligendamm Summit in early July together with Russia's President Putin and other leaders. G8 leaders agreed two counter terrorism statements at the Heiligendamm summit to increase cooperation in meeting the shared challenges of global terrorism.

Terrorism: Stop and Search

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many cases of stop and search there have been under section 44 of the Terrorism Act 2000 in each year, broken down by  (a) city or other location,  (b) gender,  (c) ethnicity and  (d) religion.

Tony McNulty: Statistics on the use of Section 44 powers under the Terrorism Act 2000 are detailed within two annual Home Office publications titled: 'Home Office Statistical Bulletin on Arrests for Recorded Crime (Notifiable Offences) and the Operation of Certain Police Powers Under PACE,' and 'Statistics on Race and the Criminal Justice SystemA Home Office publication under Section 95 of the Criminal Justice Act 1991'.
	These publications are annual and are available for each year since 2001. Information is available by ethnicity and at police force area level only. Data are not collected centrally by gender or religion. The publications detail Section 44 statistics by police force area and the Section 95 report details these statistics by ethnicity.
	The links for the most recent of these publications are:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs05/hosb2105.pdf
	and
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs06/s95race05.pdf

UN Convention on Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women

Lorely Burt: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the reasons were for removing the UK's immigration reservation on the Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women in 2004.

Liam Byrne: The United Kingdom entered an immigration reservation when it ratified the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women in 1986, in order to ensure that the Convention would not impede immigration policies and procedures in operation at the time. However, preparatory work for the implementation of the Human Rights Act 1998 subsequently ensured that all policies and practices operated by the then immigration and nationality directorate were non-discriminatory on the grounds of sex. An Interdepartmental Review of International Human Rights Instruments was carried out in 2004 and concluded that the reservation for immigration purposes was no longer appropriate and, therefore, the United Kingdom should withdraw its immigration reservation on this Convention.

UN Convention on the Rights of the Child

Lorely Burt: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will consider removing the UK's immigration reservation on the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.

Liam Byrne: The UK supports the work that the United Nations is doing in improving standards of care for children in countries where care arrangements are non-existent or poor. In the UK our domestic laws honour the spirit of the Convention in relation to the standards of care and treatment available to children, including asylum-seeking children. The Government believe the reservation remains justified in order to maintain an effective immigration control. The Convention on the Rights of the Child obliges its signatories to put the 'best interests' of the child first in making decisions and there are a number of instances where this may prevent lawful immigration functions being carried out. The Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women obliges signatories to treat men and women equally which creates less of a concern for carrying out immigration functions.
	We provide protection to children subject to immigration control via the Children Act and other domestic legislation that requires the authorities to fulfil duties in relation to children; and also through the Human Rights Act.
	In addition we are proposing to introduce a code of practice to ensure that in carrying out its functions in the UK the Border and Immigration Agency takes appropriate steps to keep children safe from harm while they are in the UK.

Yarl's Wood Detention Centre

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 26 June 2007, to question 145164, on Yarl's Wood Detention Centre, when the last occasion was that the  (a) Border and Immigration Agency and  (b) Independent Monitoring Board (i) scrutinised and (ii) monitored the length of time taken for staff Yarl's Wood Detention Centre to answer outside calls; and if she will make a statement.

Liam Byrne: Neither the Border and Immigration Agency nor the Independent Monitoring Board scrutinise or monitor the length of time taken for staff at Yarl's Wood Immigration Removal Centre to answer outside telephone calls. The operating contract for Yarl's Wood requires the contractor to install sufficient pay telephones to meet the reasonable demands of detainees and/or dependants. It also includes the minimum number of staff required to operate the switchboard at any given time. Private sector contractors that operate removal centres on behalf of the Border and Immigration Agency are paid in accordance with the contract in that they deliver the service specified for the agreed amount. Any failure to provide the specified service results in a reduction in operating fee.

Yarl's Wood Detention Centre

Nicholas Clegg: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 6 June 2007,  Official Report, columns 624-5W to the hon. Member for Hendon on Yarl's Wood Detention Centre, if she will place in the Library a copy of the Border and Immigration Agency's requirements in regard to the services to the detainees as outlined in the contract between her Department and Serco.

Jacqui Smith: It is the policy of the Border and Immigration Agency to deposit copies of the operating contracts, redacted in accordance with Freedom of Information Act, for Immigration Removal Centres in the House of Commons Library. The redacted contracts do not detail the services provided to detainees as they are exempt under Section 31 of the Freedom of Information Act. The Yarl's Wood contract, having recently been re-tendered, will be deposited in the House of Commons Library later this year.

Yarl's Wood Detention Centre: Children

Nicholas Clegg: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how long each child held at Yarl's Wood Detention Centre had been there as of 2 July 2007.

Jacqui Smith: The number of children detained with their families solely under Immigration Act powers will change from day to day. However local management information indicates that as at 2 July 2007 there were 24 children detained at Yarl's Wood Removal Centre of which 13 have been detained for less than one month, nine for between one and two months and two in excess of two months.
	The figures provided do not constitute part of National Statistics as they are based on management information. This information has not been quality assured under National Statistics protocols and should be treated as provisional.
	Quarterly snapshots are published in the quarterly asylum bulletin, showing the number of people detained under Immigration Act powers on the last Saturday of each quarter. Statistics on the total number of persons leaving detention each quarter are also published in the quarterly asylum bulletin.
	Published information on immigration and asylum is available on the Home Office's Research Development and Statistics website at:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/immigration1.html

Yarl's Wood Detention Centre: Children

Nicholas Clegg: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many children aged  (a) under five years,  (b) five to 12 years and  (c) 13 to 16 years passed through Yarl's Wood Detention Centre in each of the last 12 months.

Jacqui Smith: Information on the number of people who pass through Yarl's Wood Immigration Removal Centre could be obtained only by the detailed examination of individual case records, at disproportionate cost.
	Children are detained only in two limited circumstances: first, as part of a family group whose detention is considered appropriate; second, when unaccompanied, while alternative care arrangements are made, and normally just overnight. While the detention of families with children is very regrettable, it nevertheless remains necessary in appropriate cases in order to maintain an effective immigration control and to tackle abuses of the asylum system.
	Period statistics covering those leaving detention during each quarter have been published in the Quarterly Asylum bulletin for the periods January-March 2005 to July September 2006, inclusive. These include the last recorded place of detention but not details of each Immigration Removal Centre passed through by the detainee. The Quarterly Asylum bulletins can be found on the Home Office's Research, Development and Statistics website at:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/immigration1.html.

Yarl's Wood Detention Centre: Complaints

Nicholas Clegg: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many official complaints were received by the operator of Yarl's Wood Detention Centre in each month of the financial year 2006-07.

Jacqui Smith: In the financial year 2006-07, 172 complaints were received by the operator at Yarl's Wood Detention Centre, broken down as follows:
	
		
			   Number 
			  2006  
			 April 26 
			 May 21 
			 June 19 
			 July 37 
			 August 15 
			 September 7 
			 October 5 
			 November 21 
			 December 8 
			   
			  2007  
			 January 3 
			 February 4 
			 March 6

Yarl's Wood Detention Centre: Telephone Services

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department why the telephone at Yarl's Wood Detention Centre was not staffed and outside calls were left unanswered between 10.30am and 12.00pm on 28 June 2007.

Liam Byrne: The switchboard at Yarl's Wood Immigration Removal Centre was fully staffed between 10.30am and 12.00pm on 28 June.
	One member of staff gave out incorrect information to a caller stating that the time taken to answer the call was due to staff shortage. The staff operating the switchboard during this period have been reminded of the importance of communication between detainees, their families and legal advisors.
	The switchboard at Yarl's Wood is somewhat dated and Serco, the contractor responsible for operating the centre, is looking at various options to help speed up the time taken to answer incoming calls.